Smallville: Spellbound
by zAtAnnA zAtArA
Summary: Smallville's had it's share of Kryptonite-infused hijinks, but it's never felt real magick before...until now. Zatanna! Slightly AU. Please R & R! NEW CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE!
1. Teaser

Disclaimer: None of the characters that appear below are of my creation. They're all the property of D.C. Comics, the W.B., and its affiliates.

"Lois! Hey, Lois!" Chloe Sullivan hurriedly called out to her cousin Lois Lane late one Sunday evening. The two young women had just left the second football game of the season, Smallville's team veritably kicking Grandville's ass with ease. It was, of course, in no small amount thanks to Clark Kent, the new quarterback to Smallville's High School's football team.

Lois turned around and waited for her petite, blonde cousin to catch up with her. Chloe's crimped locks bounced as she ran to catch up to the tall, stunning brunette who stood waiting impatiently with one hand on her hip. Chloe envied Lois for a moment as she approached her. Lois was tall, statuesque, and stunning. Her long chocolate tresses, which were pulled back in their usual half bun, swayed gently in the autumn evening breeze, and the denim jeans and buttery motorcycle jacket that she wore suited her to a T.

"Hurry up Chloe, I can't wait here forever. And I really don't wanna see Clark come over here and smirk over how great he was in the game."

"You know," Chloe said as she stopped right in front of Lois. "Clark really isn't one to smirk. Or bloat. Although I'm sure that you'd love him to, just so you could shoot him down."

"What can I say?" Lois smiled charmingly. "Smallville's fun to tease."

"Yeah..." Chloe replied, feeling not just a tiny hint of jealousy at Lois' sudden comfort with the guy of Chloe's dreams.

But hey, Lois was her favorite and closest cousin, so jealousy be damned.

Right?

"So...is everyone heading over to the Falcon or something tonight?" Lois asked, turning and heading back towards her car.

"The Talon," Chloe corrected. "And yeah, pretty much everyone. The football team. Clark. Lana."

"Lana too, huh?" Lois asked, glancing at her cousin a moment. The young woman unlocked the doors to her red convertible and got in, Chloe herself sticking her messenger bag in the backseat before sliding into the passenger seat. Lois had met Lana a few days ago, and had instantaneously felt whatever sparks had been there between Lana Lang and Clark Kent. It was scary, the way those two had such strong sparks between them.

And just a little upsetting too.

Lois had to admit though, she couldn't quite blame Clark. Lana was, after all, what could only be described as a delicate, perfect beauty. In another lifetime she could have been Snow White. Sadly, given the way Lois was feeling, although she'd never in a million years admit to it, that would make her the Wicked Stepmother in this tale.

The young woman shrugged off this train of thought casually and revved up the engine. "So...the Talon," She said, backing out of her spot. "God, I'm gonna need a cigarette for this."

Lana Lang consciously pulled down the back of her cashmere turtleneck, wishing she'd opted for something longer to wear over her knee-length skirt and boots. The tattoo that had branded itself onto Lana – she had an idea of where it was from, but didn't want to admit it to herself because the idea was just too creepy – made Lana feel extremely uncomfortable. She hadn't shown it to Jason yet, and wasn't sure how he would react. In any case, she was sure it wouldn't be pretty.

"Hey, Lana, you okay?" Jason asked as the two entered the front double doors of the Talon, instantly letting go of each other's hands and separating by a foot.

"Me?" she asked, looking into Jason's too-sexy-to-be-true blueberry eyes. "Great. Just...in a need of a caffeine fix? It's been a long day."

"Yeah...you've been cooped up at home working on that term paper of yours all day."

"Well...you know how it is," Lana replied a little uncomfortably. "Last year of high school. I really need to get good grades."

"And you are," he said tenderly as the couple approached the coffee bar. "I mean...study any harder and I won't see you even for the couple of hours a day that I already get to."

"Oh, Jason..." Lana said affectionately as she gently patted his hand. "I am sorry...and I will make it up to you. Soon."

Jason smiled down at her before ordering a cappuccino for himself and a vanilla latte for Lana. The young woman nearly swooned as he did so. Lana had met Jason Teague in Paris, France a few months ago and the handsome blonde American had been so smitten by the small town girl that he followed her back halfway across the world just to be with her. That was one of the things that made Lana care for him so much. Jason was warm, understanding, and open. It was that last thing that meant the most to her. Especially due to her last couple of relationships. Whitney had been sweet, but there's had been the typical high school relationship. Football player and cheerleader. Clark on the other hand...he would have been the perfect boyfriend. If only he hadn't been so secretive all the time.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jaye, one of the girls who worked at the Talon, set Lana's coffee cup down in front of her. Lana thanked Jaye gracefully and took a tiny sip of the warm, foamy drink, letting its warmth seep through her.

"Hey, be right back," Jason said to her as the football team started to come in through the front doors of the Talon.

"Yeah, sure," Lana said understanding completely. Jason was assistant coach to the Smallville High football team, and as such probably wanted to congratulate his team again on their victory. He turned to go but Lana quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him back, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be right here."

Jason flashed Lana an award-winning smile before walking away, nearly bumping into an ebony haired young woman as he did so.

The ebony haired young beauty that Jason had nearly bumped into smiled gently at him as he gave an apologetic look and then went on her way again. She took a seat next to the young woman to whom he had been speaking and ordered herself a mocha-caramel macchiato as she set her magenta-and-silver fedora down in front of her. She then turned and glanced at the crowd around her.

She noticed, with some silent glee, that a lot of the guys in that room were checking her out. She smiled at one or two of them before turning around again, not wanting to attract too much attention to herself. She was after all, new in this town, and didn't suddenly want to be the hot topic there. Still, just to be sure that there was nothing weird on her face, she pulled out a compact from her clutch.

Everything seemed to be okay. Well, better than okay. She looked perfect. Her ebony tresses were still pulled back in a semi-high ponytail, and her small, stylish pompadour hadn't gone all flat on her. Dark, iridescent eyes glittered out from beneath her naturally long lashes, and her almost-full, petite lips (which shone with a sheer gloss) parted in a slight smile. Yeah...she looked good tonight.

When the waitress – Jaye was her name - came back with her drink, she asked if there was anything else this new girl wanted. "Actually, yeah," she replied, in a slight whisky voice. "I was wondering who I could ask for a job around here."

Jaye pointed to the young woman seated right next to her, who at the same time turned and looked at the new girl.

"Me," Lana replied, giving out a dimpled smile. "Hi...I'm Lana Lang. I pretty much run this place."

"It's beautiful," the young woman offered, taking in the Luxor-style décor and the crowd of people crammed inside what seemed to be the high school-and-college-going crowd's main hang out.

"Yeah...well...we try our best."

"It's certainly amazing."

Lana nodded her thanks and studied the young woman for a moment, as the young woman glanced around the Talon. She was dressed, well, unlike most Smallville girls. The young woman was wearing a pair of denim cropped trousers that were rolled up a little. Underneath those were magenta fishnet stockings and silver strappy stilettos. She was also wearing a pale blue camisole embroidered and bejeweled with a dragonfly, and a magenta velvet mini-blazer. There was no doubt in Lana's mind that half the men in that room were attracted to this mysterious newcomer, which frankly was a small relief for her. She had had enough of freaky men checking her out and then either kidnapping her and trying to brainwash her, or kidnapping her and trying to kill her. While she didn't bear this girl any ill will, she was glad that at least a few guys – and hopefully some of the girls – would divert their attention away from her.

"We get that a lot," Lana replied charmingly, acknowledging the girl's compliment with a nod. "So...you were looking for a job?"

"Yeah...I'm new here...starting at Smallville High School tomorrow. I'm also kind of looking for a job? You know, might help me get into the social scene. And this definitely looks like prime social scene."

"You could say that. Well, we could definitely use some more help around here. Jaye's leaving soon because she's found an internship with the local radio station, and we need a perky somebody to fill her shoes."

"I'm your girl," the young woman replied.

"Do you have any experience, though?"

"I worked at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for a couple of years."

"Perfect! So, when can you start?"

"Tomorrow?"

"How about you get settled in first? Let's say...Wednesday."

The young woman nodded, her glossed lips parting once more in a warm, nymphet's smile. "Wednesday works. See you then."

"And at school," Lana replied. "I go there too...my senior year."

"Really? Same here." The girl said, genuinely surprised. "I would have taken you for college freshman or something. So...see you at school maybe."

"Yeah, definitely. And if you need someone to show you around, get to know a few people, well, I have a great group of friends."

"I'd like that. Thanks," she smiled gratefully as she slid off of her seat, and then turned to leave.

Lana turned back to her coffee, and then suddenly realized something, and said, "Hey...wait. I didn't quite get your name."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry...my mind's still not totally here tonight. I'm Zatanna. Zatanna Zatara."


	2. Growing Car and a New Job

"Hey, who's the new girl?" Clark Kent asked as he took a seat between Chloe and Lois on a plush leather couch. Lois moved a couple of inches away suddenly, not wanting to be in such close proximity to the star quarterback, and Chloe brightened up faster than a row of streetlamps flicking on at sunset.

"Who?" Chloe asked, her curious side quickly overpowering her romantic side. She searched the Talon and soon pinpointed who it was that Clark had been asking about. It was a young brunette woman, about their age, talking to Lana Lang. Judging by her clothes and hair, Chloe figured that whoever she was, she was not and never had been from Smallville. Or, for that matter, any other small town.

Chloe ran a quick mental check of everything she knew from the school records and then it hit her. This was the new girl that she had heard talk when she had been snooping around the principal's office while trying to research an expose of hers. "Zatanna Zatara," Chloe informed Lois and Clark. "She's here from Coast City, I think."

"She's...nice," Clark replied, his face breaking out into a bright, dimpled smile as his blue green eyes tried to lock onto Zatanna. The young woman, though, was looking everywhere except right at him.

Lois glared at Clark, and though he didn't notice it, Chloe did. Her jealousy factor spiked up for a moment, but then went higher when she noticed that Clark was seriously checking out Zatanna. Not surprising, really. Even sitting down and talking to Lana, Zatanna practically screamed out sex. Chloe just disliked the fact that Zatanna didn't scream it out in a slutty way.

"Why don't you go welcome her to the neighborhood, Smallville?" Lois asked as she gulped down the rest of her now-ice-cold latte.

"Maybe I should," Clark replied, starting to get up. He stopped in his tracks though when it struck him that maybe going up to her while she was talking to Lana might not be the brightest idea he ever had. But then...Lana had moved on, hadn't she? So he supposed that since she had...he could as well. "Excuse me, ladies," Clark said as he took a couple of steps towards her.

Lois, who was annoyed for some inexplicable reason, stood up and bade her cousin goodnight. As she started to leave, she didn't notice that Zatanna was doing the same thing and that Clark had stopped in his tracks once again and had gone to sit back down next to his best friend.

It was a moment or two before Lois realized that she was walking right behind Zatanna. She had half a mind to switch tracks and turn to go back to Clark and Chloe when she realized that she needed a piece of Nicorette more than anything. That piece of Nicorette was in the car. And so, Lois followed Zatanna out, unprepared for what she was about to see next.

As she walked to her car, she kept one eye on Zatanna, trying to get a feel for her and see what it was that Clark found so intriguing about her from a distance. She watched as Zatanna approached an empty parking spot a little far off from the Talon. The young woman was rifling through her gold clutch purse, and soon pulled out a tiny matchbox car. She set it down and, back turned to Lois, muttered a few words that Lois didn't catch.

The car rose to the size of a regular Mini Cooper.

Lois watched in disbelief as the mysterious young woman slipped into the car and drove away.

This girl, she realized, would need some further investigating.

The Next Morning:

Smallville High School was a rowdy, lively, bustling place early in the morning, Zatanna realized as she pulled her Mini Cooper convertible into an empty parking spot that was far, far away from the high school. The young woman decided to take a few moments there, in the parking lot, to silently gather herself together. If anything, she needed to be ready for a day full of weirdness and secrecy if not much else.

The young woman had moved to Smallville alone, an orphan, searching for her father, the great magician known as Zatara. Zatanna had already checked Metropolis, Gotham City, Hub City, Keystone City, Central City, and of course her hometown of Coast City. She had, of course, had no luck whatsoever. And then she had heard of Smallville, and its meteor showers, and the wacky weirdness that had ensued in the tiny town since. The young woman had deduced that she might find some clue there as to her father's whereabouts. Also, what with the meteor showers, Zatanna was sure that Smallville might have some sort of mystical energy about it, and thus would be as good a place as any to learn her powers. Being the daughter of a powerful sorceress and an intelligent stage magician came with its perks, and one of those was that Zatanna was a sorceress. Or at least, that's what she supposed she was. The problem was that Zatanna was still getting used to her magick powers, and she still hadn't learned how to harness them. Sure, she could pull a rose out of thin air or even turn Kleenex into designer shoes, but the more advanced stuff still got to her. But soon, soon she would be able to use her magick properly, and then...then perhaps she would find her father. But until then...class beckoned.

Zatanna sighed to herself as she stepped out of her car and grabbed her black suede-and-leather Marc Jacobs tote. Locking the car, Zatanna swished her slick ponytail off of her shoulder and started the long walk up to the high school, praying to herself that she wouldn't be too late for her first class.

As she gently sashayed down the parking lot, Zatanna quickly checked herself to ensure that she looked pulled together and decent. The young woman had dressed that day in an outfit that made her feel wholly comfortable, which was a pair of knee length black stretch leather boots, black fishnet stockings, a pleated pinstriped miniskirt that flared just so, and a black velvet mini blazer, buttoned so that no one could tell that she wasn't wearing a shirt underneath. She would have worn one, but no matter how thin a shirt it was, the blazer just looked too bulky with anything more than a bra underneath.

The young woman had just stepped out onto the front courtyard when she heard a sweet, cheery voice suddenly pipe up behind her, "Zatanna, hey!" The young woman turned around on her heels and was pleasantly surprised to see Lana Lang standing behind her. Lana was dressed elegantly in teal mock croc kitten heeled pumps, chocolate brown cigarette pants, and a flowy teal blouse.

"Lana, good morning," Zatanna greeted her warmly. She took a few steps towards the almond-eyed brunette. Lana was walking, Zatanna noticed, by the cute blonde male who had bumped into her at the Talon the night before.

Lana noticed Zatanna looking at Jason curiously – and with some marked interest – so Lana quickly introduced him to her. "Zatanna Zatara, this is Jason Teague. Jason, Zatanna."

"Hey," Jason greeted Zatanna, holding out a hand. Zatanna shook it, feeling a slight electric charge. Houdini, was this boy hot! After shaking his hand for a moment longer than she should have, Zatanna demurely pulled her hand away, a long stemmed rose (sans thorns) entwined between her fingers. The young woman waited a moment for either one of her new acquaintances to notice her little trick.

Jason was the first person to notice her little trick. "Hey, niiice! How'd you do that?"

Zatanna smiled at him coyly and replied, "Just a little trick I picked up somewhere. A magician never reveals her secrets."

"A magician?" Lana asked, her interest suddenly a little piqued. She brushed off Zatanna's minor flirtation with Jason and asked, "So...you do a lot of this stuff?"

"Oh, plenty," Zatanna replied, her demeanor brightening up a little more. "It's...well, you could say it's a gift of mine."

"That is great," Lana said. "Look, I know you're supposed to start waitressing for us at the Talon, but I was thinking...what if you do some magic stuff too? We can pay extra...and it might add some added excitement to the place."

Zatanna considered Lana's offer for a moment. She could certainly use the extra money to fund the search for her father, and as long as she kept her true powers reigned in so as to not raise any suspicions, she supposed that it would work out well. "Yeah...I think I'd like that."


	3. Suspicions

Clark Kent had been searching for Zatanna all morning. He wasn't sure why he felt so drawn to this young woman that he had yet to meet, but he wanted badly to meet her. From what Chloe had told him, after pulling up her class schedule, Clark had learned that Zatanna had AP French first period. That worked well enough for Clark in lieu of the fact that his first period class was German and as such was located right next to Zatanna's class. What he failed to realize – again – was that Lana Lang was also in that very class.

But hey, moving on, right?

So Clark rushed out the door the second the bell rang and stood – casually – right outside the French class. He saw Zatanna step out of the class with Lana, both girls laughing over something witty that Zatanna had said to someone in class.

The young Kryptonian took a deep breath and started to make his way toward Zatanna when Lois – seemingly out of nowhere – stepped in front of him.

"Hold it, farm boy," Lois nearly commanded, eyebrows raised and her eyes boring into his. "Before you go another step forward, I think we need to have a talk about your little schoolboy crush here."

"What are you talking about?" Clark asked Lois, switching between watching Zatanna's retreating – and oh so perfect - figure and Lois' steely gaze.

"Your girl. Zelda. I saw something weird about her last night at the Talon." Lois explained. "Look, we can't discuss it here, but can you come with me to the Torch office? Chloe's got geometry right now, and I know that both you and I have this period free."

"Yeah, sure," Clark agreed, now giving Lois his full one-hundred-percent attention due to the fact that Lana and Zatanna had turned a corner and were now out of sight. Of course, there was always x-ray vision, but...no. That would be wrong.

Clark turned and followed the willowy brunette down the corridor and to the right, over to where the Torch office was. Lois closed the door behind them and seated herself in one of the plush chairs that Chloe had requested be put in the office for a more comfortable and pleasant writing atmosphere.

"So...what's going on?" Clark asked, taking a seat opposite Lois, his back facing Chloe's Wall of Weird.

"It's about the new chick. Zelda."

"Zatanna, actually," Clark corrected her.

Lois rolled her eyes and then continued. "Whatever. Look, I saw her do something really weird last night, and given all the weird stuff that goes on in this town, I thought I should at least let you know."

"What is it?"

"Okay, so last night, I don't know if you noticed or not, but I left early because I was feeling tired, a little annoyed, and I badly needed a piece of Nicorette which, hello, was happily sitting in the glove compartment of my car. Anyway, I went outside, and apparently Z-chick was leaving too. I watched her as she went some distance away from the Talon and pulled this matchbox car out of her purse. The next thing I know, it's growing to the size of a regular car. A Mini Cooper, in fact. She gets in, then, and drives away. She drives away in this car which, just seconds ago, was a tiny toy thing."

Clark stared at Lois for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Lois looked on at Clark in disbelief and a little bit of anger. No, not anger. Frustration.

Why didn't Clark believe her?!

"Clark, I'm serious about this!"

"Look, Lois, I appreciate the story, I really do," Clark said, calming down after a moment. His lips were still open in a large grin and his blue-green eyes sparkled with joy. "But, seriously, that's a really bad attempt at trying to dissuade me from trying to talk to her. I mean, seriously, a growing car?! Look, Lois, I can understand a lot of things that screw the people of this town up. I mean, crazy insect people, guys who can split themselves into two, guys who are allergic to sunlight, and genetically engineered girls with the mental age of six I can understand. But a growing car? Come on Lois...not even the meteorites could have given someone that sort of power."

"Clark, Zatanna isn't from Smallville, remember? I'm not even implying it's meteorite-related. All I'm saying is that her weirdness-factor is reaching wicked proportions."

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating due to a lack of nicotine in your system?"

"Lack of nicotine doesn't cause hallucinations, farm boy. No...I'm sure of what I saw. Look...just promise me you'll be careful if you do decide to talk to her?"

"Don't worry," Clark replied, slightly touched by the concern in Lois' voice. "I can handle myself." Clark stood up and grabbed his backpack, heading for the door. "Heh. Growing cars."

Her spell was wearing off.

* * *

Zatanna cursed under her breath as she noticed all of the men of Smallville High making eyes at her. The spell was supposed to last longer than just a little over twelve hours, but it seemed to have backfired. As soon as the bell that marked the end of second period rang, the young woman hightailed it out of her class, glad that Lana wasn't in this class of hers. It'd seem weird, to be all chatty and cool with Lana but then run out of class at the last minute and totally brush her off.

The young sorceress ducked under a flying football which one of the football players had thrown to the others, and then deftly side-stepped a spitball, jumping into the girls' restroom. Once inside, Zatanna locked the door behind her and went over to the nearest counter, setting down her tote bag. She rummaged through it for a moment and soon enough pulled out a slightly large, incredibly old looking tome that was bound in mahogany colored leather. Across the front, in bronze lettering, were the words, 'The Diary of John Zatara.'

Zatanna had found the book only a few scant days after her father's sudden disappearance, when she had been going through his things at the Zatara ancestral home, Shadowcrest, which was located just outside New York City. She discovered, upon opening the book, that it wasn't really her father's diary, but rather a grimoire of sorts, filled with spells, potions, enchantments, the history of magick, and even the history of Zatara's family tree. The things that she had discovered in that book, just a little under a year ago, and stunned the young woman. She had always known that she was something special, but she didn't understand how special until she read her father's diary. Sure, she felt a little guilty about invading his privacy, but she had had to do whatever had to be done to find her father.

Zatanna had discovered, through reading the book – coupled with her father's real diary - that her mother was descended from a race of people called the Homo magi, people that could harness magickal powers and use them. She had also discovered that, through her father's side, she was a descendant of the great Leonardo Da Vinci, and as such, her power worked better if she spoke her spells – simple sentences – backwards.

She had tried some spells, first by trying to ignite a fire in a nearby hearth. That had, of course, gone wrong, and instead an expensive Italian sculpture that took a somewhat abstract form of a heart had been the first thing to go down in flames. By commanding the fire to turn to water, the flames had of course died down, but not without first bruising Zatanna's ego just a little bit. Zatanna, although she wasn't really one for clichés, shrugged off her first attempt with the old adage that practice made perfect. She wasn't too wrong on that so far.

Zatanna set the book down on the counter in front of her and said, in as commanding a voice as the quiet she meant to keep in the restroom could afford her, "Koob wohs em eht stal lleps I dekool ta." Zatanna smiled in quiet satisfaction as the pages of the tome began to ruffle and turn as the magick breeze sought out the spell which the sorceress had asked for. She noticed that the spell she had cast didn't stop when it came across the spell she was looking for, so she quickly stuffed her hand between two pages as they threatened to close, and turned to the page she was looking for. With her intervention, her search spell dissipated.

Halfway down the page, in bold brown lettering were written the words, "To seek an entity of power." The spell was one to be used when the spellcaster was searching for a person who held within them immense power, supernatural or any other sort of above normal human power. The spell was supposed to single out other people and force them to show no interest in her, while forcing those who were of power to be attracted and drawn to her for no known reason other than they just wanted to be near her. The spell had almost seemed to be the key to what she was searching for, a gift her father had left her in case he ever happened to disappear.

Praying to whichever god or goddess it was that watched over her, Zatanna cast the spell, hoping that this time it would last much longer than the last time.


	4. It's a Date!

If she could ever find a surefire spell to make a clone of her – a clone that didn't make with the wacky or the evil the way most magickally molded clones tended to in the movies – Zatanna would have definitely gone that route and created one specifically for gym class. Sadly, Zatanna was neither that advanced in magick to ensure that things wouldn't backfire horribly, and so she went the supposedly normal route and donned a Smallville High School P.E. uniform for her last, and most dreaded, class of the day.

Zatanna strolled out of the girls' locker room with Lana and Chloe Sullivan, a friend of Lana's. Chloe seemed to be a nice, friendly young woman, if a somewhat overtly curious one. She seemed bubbly enough, though, her girl-next-door persona complimenting Lana's high school beauty queen one.

"I've heard that Coast City has great beaches," Chloe remarked as the girls passed a group of cheerleaders pouring a greenish looking liquid into the water tank.

"They aren't bad," Zatanna agreed, "it's a total pu-pu platter of boys during spring break, and even more during the summer."

Chloe waved away Zatanna's last remark as she said, "I only have eyes for one guy."

"Oh?" Zatanna asked, "Who might that be?"

"The guy heading towards us as we speak," Lana replied, pointing out a tall, handsome student lightly jogging their way. He was wearing the Smallville High football uniform, and he carried his helmet in his right hand. "Clark Kent."

"Hey, Clark," Chloe greeted her childhood friend. "What brings you here?"

"You're friend, actually," Clark replied, flashing Zatanna a grin that would make any girl's knees melt. At that moment, she was the 'any girl' whose knees had suddenly decided to go all soft and spaghetti-like on her. "Hi, I'm Kent. Kent Clark," he held out his hand, realizing he said his name wrong a moment too late. He blushed wildly and started to correct himself when Zatanna interjected him.

"Clark Kent, I've heard," she said coyly as she shook his hand. She took a moment to stare into his wide, blue-green eyes and found herself realizing why Chloe would only have eyes for this young man. He was sex on legs, she thought to herself, and then ashamedly pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She told herself to calm down. She'd only just met him, and now wasn't the time to jump right into a relationship. She had her father to find, and a guy named John Constantine was waiting for her back home. More men in her life was the last thing she needed. And yet, here she was, about to start flirting with a guy who was perhaps cuter than any guy she had ever set her eyes on, in a town where she knew she wouldn't stay for long. After all, Smallville was only a pit stop on her road to finding Giovanni Zatara, or the last stop if she found him.

But, then again...could a small fling really hurt?

"You've heard of me..." Clark said, suddenly a little cautious.

"Yeah. Nothing much really. Just that you're quarterback of the team, and that you're pretty good at what you do."

"He's also our town hero," Chloe chimed in. "Well, not so much hero as he just happens to be in the wrong place at the right time."

"Really?" Zatanna asked. "A hero."

"Yeah, Smallville's superboy."

Zatanna looked at Clark with renewed interest, and as she did so, she noticed something else in him as well. Her spell, to be exact.

So Clark was really a man of power. She would have to get to know him better, then, and see if there was anyway he could help her.

"Superboy? Gotta say, I love the sound of that," Zatanna winked as she sidled up to Clark. "Say...since I'm new in town...maybe you could show me all the it places?" Zatanna gently traced a finger across Clark's collar bone, and she felt Chloe staring daggers into her back. It was okay though...this was for family.

Plus, personal gain? Always a plus.

"Y-yeah...that would be good. I've got football practice all week...but how about Saturday?"

"Saturday works well for me," Zatanna replied. "I have a lot of catching up to do on the schoolwork that I've missed out on anyway."

"Great, so -" Clark was interrupted by Jason Teague, his assistant coach, calling him to practice.

"See you then," Zatanna said as she waved at him. Then she turned to Lana and a somewhat angry Chloe and said, "So...gym class?"


	5. Discovery

Wednesday night at the Talon was definitely a hit, Lana Lang noted with pride as Zatanna performed her last trick. The Talon, while always a busy place, hadn't seen a crowd this huge since its first few months of business. She smiled in satisfaction as the last of the few customers that were left finished paying their tabs and exited the front door. She closed the door, changed the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed', and then locked the door. She then turned, still beaming and leaned against the door while saying to her friends, "Well, I guess that takes care of Lex's thinking about shutting this place down for another few months."

"Oh, please Lana, we both know he'll never close it," Chloe said, setting down her mug of chai latte. "He keeps it open out of respect for you and the fact that it makes you happy."

Lana smirked at Chloe and then turned to look at Zatanna, who was packing up all of her magic things. She noticed the exotic, raven-haired magician flirting vivaciously with Clark and felt the very slightest tinge of jealousy that she knew she shouldn't be feeling. She also noticed Chloe giving Zatanna an even harsher glare, and slightly rolled her eyes. Chloe was so freakishly possessive of Clark. It was what had gotten in the way of Chloe and Lana from ever becoming the truly close friends that they could have been.

"So...Chloe," Lana said, deciding to draw Chloe away from another mental warpath. "What are you up to tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night?"

Lana nodded and walked over to Chloe, slipping into a bar stool next to the blonde reporter. Chloe made a small face as she thought it over and then said, "I have this interview scheduled with the captain of our chess team. Apparently they won some big, statewide championship and the principal wants me to do a first page on them."

"Happy happy joy joy."

"My thoughts exactly. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, yeah. I needed to go to Metropolis. They're library's bigger than mine and I needed to do some research."

"Research?"

"For our world history paper? I'm doing mine on symbols and their meanings and significance in cultures, from Ancient Egypt to Modern India. They have some really good books there, or so I've heard, and so...I was just looking for some company to head out over there." Lana hated lying to Chloe, but she knew that it was a necessary lie. She had tried asking Jason if he wanted to go with her, but he was already busy with some football stuff. In any case, Lana was getting desperate to find out more about her tattoo, and Metropolis Public Library had a plethora of information on ancient symbols and artifacts.

"Oh, Lana, I'm sorry. Could we maybe postpone it until Friday?"

Lana was about to agree when Zatanna suddenly piped up, "I can go with you tomorrow. If you want me to, anyway."

"That would actually be great," Lana said. "After school then?

"Yeah, definitely."

* * *

Lana Lang rubbed her eyes and sighed as stared at the back of yet another useless book. Lana and Zatanna had been at the library for two hours already and there was nothing in any of the eight books that Lana had already looked through that helped her case any – or at all. She had even picked up a few books on tattoo designs and found nothing in there.

Zatanna glanced over from a book on Egyptian sorcery and cocked her head at the side, her chandelier earrings gently glimmering under the low lights. "You okay?"

"Yeah...my eyes just hurt. Too much reading, not enough information. You know how it is."

"Yeah, yeah I do." She slammed her book shut. "Well, there's no new information on symbols here that you haven't already found in your research."

"I figured. Hey, do you want to maybe go grab a bite to eat and then come back for another hour?"

"Yeah...I've got time to kill. Besides, the weekend's fast approaching and I SO am not in the mood for homework or studying."

"And I wonder why you're looking forward to the weekend." Lana said slyly as she grabbed her purse.

Zatanna wrinkled her nose and smiled. "Yeah, I know, Clark Kent. But you have to admit, Lana, he's definitely all-American beefcake."

"There's no denying that," Lana agreed, trying to keep any wistfulness out of her voice, and actually succeeding. "He's also one of the most loyal people I've ever met."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He's always there for you...whether or not you're on speaking terms with him."

"Sounds like you have experience."

"Some," was all Lana said. Zatanna didn't press further because she was genuinely starting to like Lana and didn't want anything to disrupt their friendship. This last week Lana had been a real sweetheart, and that was part of the reason that Zatanna had offered to come up to Metropolis with Lana.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Lana said, "You know what, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be all secretive about Clark. We had a minor thing last year...but it's over now."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Well, nothing much anyway. Clark..." Lana groped for the right words to use, "Clark...well, like I said, he's loyal. But he isn't without his fair share of secrets. And he doesn't ever let you in on them. I was kept in the dark for a lot of our relationship, and I got tired of it."

"So you guys broke up."

"In a nutshell."

Zatanna pondered over what Lana had said for a few minutes. So, if Clark kept secrets then that meant that he definitely was a man of power, but it also meant that finding out what his powers were exactly would be that much more difficult. She could always do a spell, but then that would be wrong...and she wasn't sure if her spell would completely backfire or not. Zatanna wasn't sure as to how much of a risk she was really willing to take with someone's mind. And would he know if she did a mind search on him?

"Hey, where's our car?" Lana asked as they exited the building. Zatanna looked around for a moment and then did a tiny half-laugh. "We went out the wrong exit, it seems. Alright, let's go back in and out the other way." The two high schoolers turned to go back into the library when both were stopped short by the sound of a blood curdling scream close by. Lana looked at Zatanna, fear in her eyes. Zatanna simply said "Go inside and stay there," as she bounded down the stairs in front of her.

The young sorceress' heels clacked against concrete as she turned the corner on started on towards the alley where she was sure she'd heard the scream come from. One thing that Zatanna hated about Metropolis more than anything was the fact that its metahuman underbelly was huge, dark, and terrifying.

Lucky for her she'd faced it before.

As soon as she entered the alley, she saw what she figured she would: a vampire preying on a young college co-ed from Metropolis University. The girl, a blonde in tight jeans and a Metro U hoodie (the stereotypical type that always seemed to get into these sorts of situations) was struggling against the vampire as he tried to find the right angle with which to bite her.

"Hey, dogbreath!" Zatanna called out as she pulled out a pen from her tote bag. The vampire turned around as Zatanna muttered the words, "Nep ot nedoow etaks!" She cursed under her breath as she watched her Parker pen transform into a wooden skate. "Nedoow etaks ot nedoow ekats!" The skate slowly transformed, going slimmer and pointier, into the object that she wanted: a wooden stake. Zatanna dropped her bag and dangled the stake from her fingers. "Looking for dinner?" She motioned for the co-ed to get going – and she did screaming all the way – and then turned back to the somewhat dumbfounded vampire.

The vampire growled and started to rush her. Zatanna lashed out with one stiletto-heeled foot and caught him in the midsection. The vampire flew back a foot or two, giving Zatanna room to rush him and throw a few punches his way. The vampire's brute strength was much more than Zatanna's though, and instead he dodged her strikes and instead backed her into a corner. She felt his hot, fetid breath on her as his fangs closed in on her. With a cry made up of terror, fear, and sheer magickal power, Zatanna screamed out "Eripmav ezeerf!" The vampire froze in place as he was, no more than a mannequin now. Zatanna slammed her stake home and watched in satisfaction as the vampire turned to dust.

Her satisfaction was replaced with surprise, though, when she saw Lana standing just outside the alley, her face open wide in fear.

"Lana?" Zatanna asked.

Lana turned and ran and Zatanna started after her, screaming out, "Lana! Lana wait!"


	6. Revelations

"Lana!" Zatanna called out, running after her friend as Lana bound back up the stairs of the library. Zatanna sighed to herself as she chased after her deliberating over her options on what to do with Lana Lang now. After all, she'd seen Zatanna stake a vampire and had probably also seen Zatanna use her magick.

None of that was good news.

Zatanna figured she had two ways to go. She could either freeze Lana where ever she was and try to perform a mind wipe, or she could freeze Lana, catch up to her, and tell her the truth. Neither idea sounded appealing to Zatanna, but she had to do one or the other. The obvious choice was the latter idea, of course, because a mind wipe could completely destroy Lana, and that was the last thing Zatanna wanted to do. And so, Zatanna yelled out the spell to make Lana freeze as she bounded up the steps of the library, stopping short just inside the double doors. Lana was there, frozen in midair, just ten feet away. Zatanna rushed over to her and stopped in front of her, and said a spell to reanimate Lana.

Lana ran right into Zatanna and both girls went tumbling around on the floor, knocking into a bookcase, starting a domino reaction. Zatanna, running on pure adrenaline, yelled out, "Sesackoob ezeerf dna esrever!" As the bookcases reversed, Zatanna jumped to her feet and helped Lana up.

Lana, breathing heavily and mind racing, let go of Zatanna's hand as soon as she was up and glared at her. "What the hell are you?!"

"Look, Lana...can we go somewhere else and talk?"

"Wait, what? No. No, we really can't Zatanna. This is too freaky." Lana slid past Zatanna, her chandelier earrings catching the light and momentarily blinding Zatanna.

"Lana, we need to talk over this."

"No, we don't."

"Hey, you said Clark kept secrets from you and you didn't like it. Well, you've just discovered my secret, and you still don't like it. Do you think you could have handled Clark's secrets if you can't handle mine?"

"You have no right!"

"No, no I don't. I don't even know Clark's secret, but the point is that you need to give secrets a chance. Please, Lana." Zatanna begged Lana, who still kept her back turned to the sorceress.

Lana considered Zatanna's plea a moment. It was true; she had to give secrets a chance. In any case, she was keeping one secret from Jason and two from Clark. But...this was just plain weird. Weirder than getting a mysterious tattoo from a crypt. This...this was criminals bursting into dust and people freezing in midair and...well...and just all around weirdness. She shook her head. "I'm sorry Zatanna...I can't deal with this right now. Maybe later...but definitely not right now. Look, I need to go."

"I'm your ride, Lana."

"My Aunt Nell lives here. I can spend the night at her place. Just...I need to go."

"Lana, just one thing? Don't tell anyone...please? Not just yet."

Lana turned and looked Zatanna straight in the eye. She took a deep breath and nodded. Yes, Zatanna had majorly freaked her out back there, but something deep within her told her that Zatanna was safe. "Okay."

"Thank you."

* * *

The next few days passed uneventfully. Clark, at the last minute, cancelled his date with Zatanna because of a party the cheerleaders were having for the football team. They had rescheduled for a later, unconfirmed date, which somewhat irked Zatanna but she let it pass. She was actually more worried about Lana and her constant avoiding Zatanna than anything else. At least her secret was still safe and at least she still had her job at the Talon.

Zatanna continued her search for her father, and had even followed a lead in New York City, but it had been nothing that could help her find Zatara.

Though her Zatara problem wasn't resolved by Tuesday of the following week, her Lana problem seemed to be heading that way.

It was closing time at the Talon and Lana had just locked the front door. The only people left inside were Lana, Zatanna, and a girl named Linda whom Lana had recently made assistant manager, mainly so she could spend more time with Jason.

Zatanna was busy wiping the counter while worrying about the run in her fishnets while Lana deliberated whether or not to approach the witch.

God, that word sounded weird. Zatanna was a witch. A witch.

Lana shook her head and slowly approached Zatanna, unsure of how to apologize to her friend. She'd been deliberating over how to talk to Zatanna ever since the day before, when she had finally revealed the secret of her tattoo to Jason. Jason had first looked at her as if she were some kind of freak, and it was then that Lana had started to realize that what she had done to Zatanna was wrong, no matter how freaked out she had been.

As she approached she heard Zatanna whisper something, but she wasn't sure what. A spell? Maybe. For what? Lana had noticed anything different.

"Hey...Zatanna?" Lana asked timidly, seating herself on a bar stool. She picked up a straw and fiddled with it as her eyes met Zatanna's darkly opalescent ones.

"Lana, hi. What's up?" Zatanna put down the rag she was using to clean and leaned casually on the counter, flicking her long, slick ponytail off her shoulder. Her voice was pleasant, warm, and inviting. Lana loosened up immediately.

"About last week, Zatanna I completely overreacted. I just...it was weird, you know? And my life is already full of weirdness, and seeing you do what you did...What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry."

"Lana," Zatanna started, touched and joyful, "it's in the past. I understand your reaction completely, and I don't blame you for it. I mean, come on, how many people have actually come across a blood sucking fiend from beyond the grave? And, okay, a cute brunette in fishnets and heels crying out some words and sending something – anything – flying backwards? I get it, I really do. And thank you, as well, for not telling anyone."

"So...friends then?"

Zatanna nodded. Lana breathed a sigh of relief and leaned over the counter to give Zatanna a quick hug. Lana sat back down then, a mildly guilty look still upon her face. Zatanna took one look at it, gleaned the meaning of it, and then asked, "Alright, lady, so what secret is it you're dying to share?"

Lana gave Zatanna a quizzical look, as if to inquire as to what it was exactly that Zatanna was talking about. Or maybe it was a look to ask how Zatanna knew Lana had a secret to spill. In any case, Zatanna just shrugged and gave Lana a prodding look.

"Promise me you won't freak? No, of course you won't. I mean...I freaked on you, and I'm sure that, you know, you being a witch there's very little that freaks you out."

"I actually prefer sorceress, but please, continue."

"I'm not trying to take advantage of you here, or anything. It's just, well, I figured you'd know about this stuff."

"What stuff? Lana, what's going on?"

Lana proceeded to fill in Zatanna on everything that had transpired, from her trip to Paris to the mysterious crypt to the flash of blinding light followed by Lana's feverish discovery of her new tattoo. Zatanna listened carefully, nodding at the right moments, taking in what Lana was saying. From her experience, it definitely sounded supernatural in origin. What it was, though, and why Lana had the tattoo were things that Zatanna could not yet answer.

Lana showed Zatanna her tattoo.

"Oh, Lana...I don't know..." Zatanna said, running a hand along the tattoo. "It's under your skin, isn't it? Magickal tattoos tend to be. This doesn't look like any rune I've ever come across."

"Can you help me?"

"I can try. Give me a few days, and I'll let you know what I come up with. Are you willing, though, to undergo magickal treatment?"

Lana considered this a moment. She knew nothing of magick, but at this point she was desperate. She wanted the tattoo gone. Taking a deep breath, Lana nodded, "Yeah...whatever it takes."


	7. The Mystic

"So, have you found anything yet?" Lana Lang asked Zatanna a rainy Thursday afternoon the following week. Zatanna looked up from a somewhat large tome with slightly yellow pages, a look of mild exasperation cast over her beautiful face. She tucked back a wayward strand of ebony hair – was her pompadour falling apart? – and shook her head solemnly.

"Nothing...would you believe it? All these books in my father's collection...and not a single thing that references that tattoo of yours."

"How can that be?" Lana asked, confused. Her face bore a look of concern as she took a seat across from the sorceress in Lana's apartment. The two young women had been cooped up all evening, searching through Zatara's entire library, which Zatanna had magickally transported over as soon as classes had finished for the day.

Zatanna shrugged. "I honestly don't know Lana. I mean, either that symbol of yours means something that predates the written word, or it's from another planet. I've exhausted all the resources that I have at my command, and there isn't much else that I can possibly do."

"There has to be someplace that I can find information on the symbol," Lana replied as she shifted through the large stack of heavy tomes on her round glass dining table.

"We've checked everywhere!" Zatanna exclaimed. "I've gone through the mystical symbols of any and all cultures that my dad has listed in these books, be it Hindu, Chinese, African, Themysciran, everything! Have you spoken to the Native American tribe that the caves used to belong to?" Zatanna inquired, hoping that it was a resource that Lana hadn't yet tried.

"Yes, I finally made contact with someone from that tribe, and other tribes related to them."

"Any luck?"

"They refused to tell me a single thing," Lana replied with resignation. "I swear I'm on the point of giving up. I mean, maybe the symbol means nothing, right?"

"That's wishful thinking sweetie," Zatanna replied. She patted Lana's dainty hand and offered her a consoling smile. "The way I see it is this: whatever that symbol means, it stands for something far too powerful for any of us to understand, or even grasp yet. I'm going to have to bring in someone bigger than me and ask her opinion on it."

"Such as?"

"Madame Xanadu."

* * *

"What is it with you magic people and having your names begin with the letters x or z?" Lana asked as Zatanna's car pulled up in front of a small brownstone building just on the outskirts of Metropolis. Zatanna had used an invisibility spell on her car so she could go at whatever speed she wished to without getting caught. The spell once dissipated halfway to Metropolis, and a police car had given them chase, but Zatanna had caused the car to get a flat tire or four, and then had promptly gone invisible again. The girls were there in an hour and a half.

"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked as she shut the door to her car. She shrunk the car and stuck it in her purse, smiling as Lana stared at Zatanna in shock. "I know, amazing isn't it? I never need to look for a parking spot. If I can get my teleportation spell right, pretty soon I won't even need a car."

The girls started walking up the four steps to the glass and oak door when the door pulled open and a woman who looked stunningly like a younger, more ethereal Greta Garbo opened the door. She was dressed casually in velour sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt that proudly said it was from "Armani Exchange". In her hand was a mug filled with what Lana assumed was coffee. She couldn't be more than twenty-five-years old.

"Zee, hi! I was wondering when you were going to drop by. The cards told me it'd be sometime this week," the young woman greeted Zatanna in a warm, friendly voice. She gave Zatanna a hug and then turned to Lana, who was standing just behind her. "And you must be Lana Lang. Pleasure to meet you," she said, sticking out her hand. Lana shook it gracefully.

"You must be Madame Xanadu."

"I am," Madame Xanadu replied, beaming. "But you can call me Xan. All my friends do. Madame Xanadu just sounds too...I dunno...chrone-like. Anyway, come on in. I just made cocoa, fresh too, with actual chocolate. You guys want?"

"Cocoa would be great," Zatanna replied as she followed Xan into the living room. Lana also followed suit, taking in the, well, _normal_ décor of the brownstone. Lana had expected something completely different from a woman named 'Madame Xanadu'.

"Lana, you?"

"Yeah, cocoa sounds great."

"Good. I have marshmallows too, so..."

"Perfect."

"Great," Xan said, giving the girls a quick nod as she whisked away into the kitchen.

As soon as Xan was out of earshot Lana turned to Zatanna and asked, "How do you know her?"

"Long story short, I was searching for something, and Xan just so happened to point me in the right direction."

Lana tilted her head to one side questioningly, as if waiting for more information, but when Zatanna offered none, Lana let the subject go. "What can she do exactly?"

"Xan is a -"

"– tarot card reader." Xan filled in as she gently stepped back into her living area with a silver tray. On it were two mugs as well as a plate of assorted sugary goodies, a sight which instantly lit Zatanna's face up. Sugar she could never say no to, especially since she had the power to get rid of any zits that they may cause. "As well as crystal ball gazer, you know, things like that. Your average fortune teller, I suppose you could say." Xan noticed Lana's expression of uncertainty and said, "Don't worry Lana, I'm no Miss Cleo."

"I wouldn't have brought you here if she wasn't, Lana," Zatanna added.

Lana, who trusted Zatanna probably more than she trusted even Clark, nodded. "Okay...so what do we have to do?"

"Well, first, let me see the symbol."

Lana nodded and set down her mug. She stood up, turned and lifted her sweater up to just a couple of inches above where the tattoo ended. Xan tilted her head to one side as she studied it.

"Intriguing," she whispered. "It looks like an incredibly stylized 'S'."

"What do you think it means, though?" Lana prodded. Xan stood up and walked over to Lana. "May I?" she asked, in regards to the tattoo.

"Go ahead."

Madame Xanadu lightly traced the symbol with her fingertips, feeling only skin. "It's under your skin isn't it?" Lana nodded. "Weird. I mean, it's definitely mystical in nature...but when I touch it...power just ripples off it. Where did you get this, Lana?"

"The tomb of Countess Theroux."

"The name sounds familiar. She was a witch if memory serves me right."

"But not homo magi Zatanna added.

"Borrowed power. Makes a woman dangerous. Tell me Lana, have you been having any dreams or any visions? Any new powers that have manifested themselves?"

"Nothing," Lana replied. "Everything's the same as it always was."

"Do you get any other vibes off of it, Xan? Any visions or anything?"

Xan shook her head dejectedly. It was weird. She was usually so good at reading people, at seeing through their auras and reading what their destinies were. But with Lana...this symbol blocked everything. She seemed to be in a simple state of flux. Her destiny was...uncertain, it seemed. "Nothing. The tattoo...it blocks any information I could have otherwise retrieved from Lana. It's got immense power, you two."

"So...what can we possibly do?" Lana asked as she let her sweater back down again. She sat back down on the couch as Xan sat down in a plush armchair opposite her and Zatanna.

"Short of a spell to remove the symbol, not much. It can't be removed surgically, I can assure you of that."

"Do you know any spells?" Zatanna asked.

Xan shook her head. "Sorry, Zee. I'm not good with spells and magic. That's more your forte."

Zatanna opened her mouth to refute Xan's comment but the beautiful brunette held up a pale, slender hand and said, "Trust me on this, Zee. You'll figure it out. And whatever happens? It'll happen for the better."

Zatanna tilted her head. Xan knew something connected to Lana, and she was reading it off of Zatanna herself. The fledgling sorceress looked at Xan questioningly but Xan merely said, "I can't say anything, Zee. Not in this case. It could screw things up. Just trust me when I say that you need to find a spell to remove the symbol, and you need to use it with all the power you can muster."

"All right. Thanks Xan."

"Always." Xan said, hugging her friend. "And Lana, take care of yourself. When things figure themselves see me." Lana gave Xan the same questioning look that Zatanna had given her, but Xan merely smiled knowingly.

The girls left Madame Xanadu's home, feeling more unsure and confused than they had when they had first arrived there an hour ago.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all...sorry it's taken me so long to update! I was stuck with a bit of writer's block, but I think I'm back on my way again. Thanks for the sparkling reviews, and keep them coming, along with any flamers you may have!


	8. Homo magi

"Finally caught you!" Clark exclaimed as he caught up to Zatanna before first period.

"Clark, hey," Zatanna said, turning around smiling at the incredibly cute farm boy. Clark give Zatanna a thousand watt smile, and Zatanna nearly swooned again. Yeah, John was nice and all that but Clark...Clark was completely out of this world. "How are you?" Zatanna asked, dropping her voice a few octaves. Her entire posture changed to a flirtier, slightly more suggestive pose, which she knew was unnecessary because while under her spell, Clark wouldn't fall for any other girl anyway. And with Lois in Metropolis University as of a week ago, Zatanna's chances at nabbing Clark for herself were that much better.

"I'm good, thanks. A little sleepy, maybe. But good. Football practice has me kinda beat," Clark said as he started walking to first period, alongside Zatanna.

"Really? And here I thought a big, strong farm boy like yourself wouldn't get so tired after a few grueling hours out on the field," Zatanna said coyly as she played with a lock of hair from her slick ponytail. "Maybe a nice, luxurious massage would help?"

Clark smiled. "Maybe. But hey, seriously, I wanted to set a date with you...for, you know, our date. I was thinking maybe tomorrow night? There's this great Italian place I know of that I think you might enjoy."

"I love Italian!" Zatanna exclaimed. "That would be perfect. Pick me up at about seven-ish?"

"Seven-thirty?"

"Works well enough for me."

* * *

Lois Lane wanted out of Metropolis University. Ironic, really, given how hard she had tried to get into the school in the first place. She didn't mind the place as much as she minded the workload. In just a week, she had racked up four papers she had to write – five pages each – two big tests, and she was already behind on some classes. Not surprising, given that she had started school two weeks late, but honestly, did they have to give out homework starting from the first day of school?

Lois cursed as she slammed a pile of books, her own text books along with some research materials from the university library, onto a table in the far corner of the library. All she wanted at that moment was a cigarette. Or Clark Kent. No, scratch that. Just a cigarette. And Clark Kent.

'Calm down, Lane,' Lois told herself mentally. 'That boy is Chloe's big love.'

In the back of her mind, she started to form the thought that even though he was Chloe's big love, he wasn't Chloe's boyfriend, which made him ripe and well for the picking. Ashamed that she would even consider taking away the guy Chloe had such a mad on for, Lois shook her head free of her thoughts and instead picked up an issue of the National Inquirer, this one with a front page story about a mysterious blonde boy who controls the waters off the coast of Florida. Lois took one look at the somewhat blurry photograph of the boy, who seemed to be only a year or so younger than herself, decided that he was semi-cute, and then set the paper back down. She had more important things to worry about than boys who could control the water, such as girls who could make their cars grow.

Lois stood up from her seat and stretched, her mind still stuck all the way back in Smallville. She couldn't help it. Lois knew what she had seen, and the thought of Zatanna being in that town with Chloe, Clark, and the others worried her to no end. Maybe it hadn't been too prudent of her to move to Metropolis University so soon.

Speaking of prudent, maybe it was time that she get up and do some research on magic on her own, figure out who or what exactly Zatanna was so that she could expose the girl to Clark, Chloe, and the others.

Chloe was right, Lois realized with dismay as she pushed herself away from her corner table and headed to the section on witchcraft. Once you started investigative reporting, it got downright addictive.

Lois browsed through the books on the shelves, horrified at the amount of books there were on the subject. There was no way in hell that she was going to be able to go through every one of them. She looked at the titles carefully and chose a few that seemed more than likely to have the information that she sought. She picked up "_Gadsby's Compendium_", "_The Codex of St. Aure_", and "_Magic, Magick, and Majiks: A History of the M-Word_." The books, all three of them huge and seemingly unused for god knows how many years, were large, heavy, and dusty. Lois rolled her eyes at the cliché as she quietly walked back to her seat, narrowly avoiding a trio of five-year-olds hiding from their mother.

About an hour or so later, Lois felt like screaming her head off. Neither the compendium nor the codex were much help to her, though she supposed that it shouldn't have been so surprising. After all, the people who wrote those books were men with PhD's. They were about as likely to believe in real magic as Lois was likely to believe that a man could literally defy gravity and fly wherever he may please.

She hesitantly opened the third book, and her sensual brown eyes widened as she flipped through it, finding a chapter labeled "_Homo Magi – Magical Humans_?" Lois read the chapter in amazement, not quite believing her eyes.

"Human beings evolved into distinct lines back in the early days of man. The majority of humans become Homo sapiens, while a smaller line of humans became a race we call the homo magi. These people, the homo magi, look just like any other homo sapien, the only difference being that these beings are imbued with sensitivity to magick. The homo magi were the ones responsible for building Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria. They were also the first dominant society in recorded history, tens of thousands of years ago.

Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria were powerful island city-states much like the fabled Themyscira, and were the trio of the power centers belonging to the homo magi. When the city-states fell from power and sank beneath the sea, the remaining homo magi settled into pocket cities such as Bete Noire, and other such cities, including a major one just on the outskirts of Turkey. They called themselves the Hidden Ones, and stayed away from the affairs of homo sapiens for an untold number of centuries."

The chapter went on to state the characteristics of homo magi, and it began to slowly dawn on Lois that she was really on to something here.

Zatanna wasn't just a mere witch. She was more than that.

She simply wasn't human.

* * *

Writer's Note: Just a few quick answers to some of your comments. :-D. I realize that Martha Kent has taken over the Talon this season, but I needed a way for Lana and Zatanna to meet, and so I set the story in a very slightly different alternate universe where Lana still manages the Talon. And, as for the invisible car, well...Zee's a very reckless driver. :-D.

Thanks a lot for your comments and reviews guys, I appreciate it a whole lot. Please keep them coming!


	9. Spell Part One

"Lois, where the hell are you?" Chloe asked impatiently on her cell phone the next Friday.

"Almost there, Chloe. Got stuck in some wicked traffic right outside Metropolis earlier," Lois replied as she kept her eyes on the road. "What's the hurry anyway? It's your surprise party. You're supposed to be the last one there."

"This has nothing to do with the party," Chloe replied. "At least, I don't think so? Lana said she wanted to show us something important."

"A new cheerleading move, maybe?" Lois asked, a little sarcastically. Lois didn't mind Lana, in fact she liked her a little, but the fact that Lana had been a cheerleader once upon a time, well, that just irked Lois to no end. As a rule, she disliked cheerleaders, even former ones. Which she supposed should have meant Chloe because of the stunt she pulled a week or so ago...but Chloe hadn't _really _been a cheerleader.

"Lois, come on. You know Lana quit cheerleading aeons ago. Could you cut the girl some slack?"

"I'm kidding, Chloe. You know me better than that. I'm not an out-and-out bitch. Well...not usually."

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and get here. Please?"

"Almost there," Lois replied, taking the only exit that would lead her to Smallville from the freeway. "Or, you know, not quite. Just exited the freeway."

"Lois!"

"Calm down, Clo. I'll be there soon."

Soon translated as twenty minutes later as Lois pulled up in front of Chloe's house. Lois honked her horn impatiently and watched Chloe speed out of her house, pulling on a sweater as she did so. Chloe hopped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, flashing Lois a bright, toothy smile. "Lana's getting impatient."

"Heh. Cheerleaders," Lois smirked as she pulled out of Chloe's driveway and started down the road to the part of the woods where Lana had asked them to meet her. "So, what's this big thing she has to show us?" Lois asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. I mean, lately with Lana, you never really know. France changed her."

"How so?"

"She's become a whole lot more like Clark," Chloe said offhandedly. "Take a right over there."

Lois followed Chloe's instructions and popped another piece of Nicorette in her mouth. "Maybe they really are meant for each other," Lois said, mostly to herself.

Chloe, though, with her superior eavesdropping skills heard Lois and said, "Please, with Zatanna now in the picture, I highly doubt it. Maybe I should just go on ahead and ask Pete Ross to move back here so that I could date him. I mean, okay, he had a thing for me, and he was nice. Knowing my luck, though, he'll probably end up falling for Lana too."

Lois perked up at the mention of Zatanna's name, needing to discuss her findings with Chloe before realizing that she hadn't spoken to her cousin about the new girl at all. No...she'd better talk to Clark first, she told herself as she asked, "What about that guy you were telling me about? That friend of Clark's? What was his name...Bart?"

"He was a dish," Chloe replied, smiling in spite of herself. "Maybe. Except, you know, Clark told me he's back in Central City. So...maybe not. Central City's like way too far away, and how many times has a long distance relationship worked anyway? Ooh, okay, we're here," Chloe said, pointing to a dirt road. "Just pull up in there. Lana wants us to meet her by the river."

Lois nodded and followed Chloe's instructions. Soon, the two girls had passed through a dense area of forest and found Lana waiting for them near the river. Lois immediately noticed that Lana seemed a little...off. She seemed more confidant than she usually did, and a little more sensual too. Lois cocked her head to one side, trying to figure out what exactly was different. A number of ideas ran through her head – Lana was on a drug of some sort, she'd finally lost her virginity, or maybe she and Clark were finally together. Lois decided that none of them were quite it and instead just greeted Lana cheerfully, giving her the benefit of the doubt.

The girls spoke for a few minutes, and Lana said something about celebrating with her two best girls, before pulling out what seemed to be a bottle of wine. Lana offered up two glasses of the drink to both Chloe and Lois, both of who accepted it and took a sip of the drink.

Lois smiled as the wine slid down her throat, cherishing the sweet, fruity taste of the drink. That was right before everything went black.

* * *

"Hey, you made it!" Clark said pleasantly as Zatanna stepped into the barn, holding a small wrapped box in her hands.

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world," Zatanna replied as she leaned over to kiss Clark on the cheek. She pulled back after lightly brushing her lips against his cheek and tilted her head to one side, smiling beguilingly the entire time. The date that Zatanna and Clark had had the night before had gone exceedingly well, Zatanna thought, even though she hadn't discovered anything new about him that night. She had tried a few times to cause little incidents that might have caused Clark to use whatever powers it was that he was hiding from her, but she found nothing anyway.

He was good at keeping secrets, she realized with dismay. No matter though...sooner or later all secrets came out anyway. It was really just a matter of time until Clark's came out as well.

The one good thing, though, that came out of their date was that Clark and Zatanna had pretty much solidified themselves as a couple. She made a mental note to herself to send John a 'Dear John,' letter, an irony which she found incredibly amusing in itself.

"What'd you get her?" Clark asked as Zatanna set her gift on top of the other ones. His breath was taken away as he peered into her eyes under the candlelight. Zatanna was definitely dressed seductively, in a skin-colored beaded and sequined slip dress with a flowy handkerchief hem, with metallic strappy sandals to match. Her lustrous black mane, shimmering in the candlelight, was wavy that night, framing her exotic face and making her seem so very ethereal and divine.

"Oh, just a little something. It's the first article ever written by Nellie Bly," Zatanna replied, her smoldering eyes glittering and her glossed lips parting in a beguiling smile as she answered his question.

Clark was pleasantly surprised by Zatanna's answer. She was a good gift giver, he realized. "Chloe'll love that. She's her idol."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that she would be."

"It must have been expensive though. How'd you get your hands on it?"

Zatanna replied with an ironic smile, "Magic. Look, I'm gonna go get some punch...did you want anything?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Zatanna nodded and smiled and then sashayed away, leaving the scent of ginger and jasmine in her wake. Clark watched her as she walked away, still thunderstruck by her beauty.

He didn't get a chance to watch her long, though, because as soon as she was out of his sight, the doors to the barn opened and in stepped Lana, Chloe, and Lois dressed, well...also dressed seductively. Which was very unlike them.

All eyes turned to stare as the three possessed girls walked into the barn, their movements dripping aggressive sexuality as they did so.

Zatanna, who was near the food table, suddenly lurched and fell on her knees, her eyes glowing and her abdomen hurting.

There were witches nearby, Zatanna realized. Homo sapien witches. And they were pure evil.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all....yeah, the blonde boy was a throwaway reference to Aquaman. I figured that since this is set in a universe that is different from the mainstream comics universe, he might have some differing powers as well. In lieu of that train of thought, I think you'll notice that I've given Zee some extra powers too...such as the ability to sense homo sapien witches. Not sure if she ever had that power in the first place...but hey...plot device. :-D. 


	10. Spell Part Two

Zatanna stood up unsteadily, noting that chaos was starting to ensue all around her. Whatever the hell was going on, it wasn't even close to pretty. She noticed that the crowd around her was getting a little more risqué. Clothes were coming off, and there was way too much bumping and grinding going on for this to even be a high school party gone insane.

Zatanna scanned the room, searching for Clark, trying to find some sign of him and make sure that he too didn't go the insano route along with everyone else in the room. The sorceress dodged a red and black lace bra that came whizzing at her, and a moment later dodged what seemed to be a matching thong. They were a good set, actually, Zatanna thought to herself as she started down the stairs, which is where she found Clark.

Dancing with Chloe and Lois.

Dressed only in a pair of bright blue boxers.

Zatanna sucked in her breath as she saw him. God, now _that_ was a man. She snapped out of her stupor, though, as soon as she realized that Clark was definitely not acting like Clark. And how the hell had another witch's spell overpowered her own and taken over her boyfriend?

"Kralc peels," Zatanna commanded, sending her boyfriend into slumberland. Clark's eyes closed and he started to tumble down the stairs which is when Zatanna commanded, "Ezeerf." Clark froze in mid-air, which allowed Zatanna to transport him, via spell, to his bed. She then hurried back to the barn to deal with whoever was dealing out the mojo in the first place and came across Lana, Lois, and Chloe all dancing seductively around a football player that Zatanna hadn't been introduced to yet. On the other hand, it looked like the three girls were going to be getting to know him very well soon.

Zatanna quickly walked over to the girls to bring them back to their senses when Lana, startled, looked at Zatanna, her eyes wide and full of malice. "Girls," she said, "we have a sorceress in our midst."

Zatanna stopped right in her tracks when she heard Lana say this, Zatanna's own eyes widening with horrid realization. Lana was the witch. Somehow, both Lois and Chloe were also witches. Zatanna wasn't sure how that had happened, or when it had happened, but she intuitively knew that it was somehow related to Lana's tattoo.

"More real than anything you'll ever be," Zatanna countered evenly. Lana, Chloe, and Lois stopped their dancing and Chloe and Lois used a spell to transport the rest of the party back to their homes. They stood then, side by side, facing off against Zatanna.

"Is that so?" asked Lana, cocking her head to one side.

"You really wanna test me out? Look, Lana, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but it has something to do with that symbol on your back. I think we really need to go talk to someone else about it if it's starting to possess you."

"Lana's not here, fool. Sure, she's asleep somewhere inside...but at the moment it's only me."

"Only you...?" Zatanna looked at Lana questioningly, unsure of what she meant. And then it dawned on her after a moment. Lana's symbol, she'd received it from a tomb in France. Which could only mean one thing. Lana Lang had been taken over by the woman in the tomb. "Isabelle Theroux," Zatanna said, her voice filled with wonder.

"You can call me mistress," Isabelle replied, sending out a bolt of red magic at Zatanna.

"Esrever!" Zatanna cried, sending the bolt onto Isabelle. Isabelle flew back, shattering the stairs behind her. Isabelle got back on her feet immediately, seething with anger.

"Your power...it is not like mine."

"My power's real."

"We'll see about that, you vapid guttersnipe," Isabelle said before teleporting out of there with her two lackeys.

Zatanna cursed under her breath. All she'd come to Smallville for was to find her father. She hadn't signed up for tattoos and boyfriends and resurrected witches. Zatanna sighed in frustration and stalked out of the barn, ready to prepare for a full on battle against Lana, Chloe, and Lois' possessors.

Fifteen minutes later found Zatanna at the Native American caves, dressed in a little more...fight-worthy, which in her definition consisted of a pair of denim flares, a black sleeveless top with a funky gold pattern on it, black fishnet arm-warmers (because a girl needs fishnets), and spike-heeled boots. She had with her Zatara's spell book and a few vials of untried potions she had been working on. Zatanna didn't really know where she was, but she had followed her gut intuition from her home back to Clark's place (they had come back there after she had left) and then to these caves.

Whatever the Witches of Eastwick-wannabes wanted, it was here.

Zatanna strode inside the caves, her every sense on red alert. She walked past a few boulders and took in all the drawings on the caves, the paintings that Lana had told her about. She also noticed, on one wall, a larger version of the tattoo that was on Lana's back.

So Lana was somehow connected to the walls here, but how? And what were all these runes? Where were they from?

Zatanna's musings were interrupted by a sound she heard from the other side of the cave. It sounded like an electrical buzzing almost. Zatanna followed it and found herself walking through a tiny opening between the cave walls and into a room with Isabelle and the other two, whose names Zatanna had yet to learn. The women were huddled around a large rock formation that held a white stone on one third of it.

"Sorceress, you found us," Isabelle said, mildly surprised.

"You guys weren't hard to find, Isabelle. What is this you want? Why are you here, now?"

"That's not any of your business."

"What affects Lana is my business. She's my friend."

"Was, I think you mean. Once I get this crystal and funnel its powers, the world is mine to conquer."

"Wow. You're really hokey, you know that?" Zatanna asked before throwing a vial at Isabelle. "I mean, world domination. Read a book, sister, that sort of pathetic thinking went out when Pinky and the Brain went off the air."

"Brianna! Madeleine!" Isabelle cried out to her comrades. "Protect me!"

Brianna, who had taken over Lois' body, threw a ball of red magic at the vial, bursting it in midair as Madeleine-in-Chloe threw another ball of red magic at Zatanna. Zatanna froze Madeleine's magic, sending a red ball of ice crashing to the ground.

"Enieledam peels!" Zatanna shouted, sending the witch to sleep. She did the same then to Brianna, sent both witches back home, and then turned to Isabelle. "Just you and me now, bitch."

"Should be interesting."

"Oh, it will be," Zatanna countered. "Hturt!"

"What?" Isabelle asked, not understanding Zatanna's last word. "What sort of spell was that?"

"Who the hell are you? And what significance does the tattoo have to Lana Lang?"

Isabelle stared at Zatanna for a moment, trying to keep the truth from spilling out of her mouth. But Zatanna's spell held.

"She's a vessel for great power, Lana. And as my descendant, she should be. Lana Lang will achieve great things, whether because of me or not."

"What kind of power?"

"Power that you can't even conceive of yet," Isabelle said through gritted teeth. "Back off, little girl, you don't know what it is you're dealing with yet."

"You're right, she doesn't," a voice piped up behind Zatanna. "But I do."

Zatanna whirled around. "Clark?"

"How'd you get here?" Clark asked in place of a greeting.

"I followed the Elphalba rip-off. How did you get here?"

"I knew what she was after."

While Zatanna and Clark had their little discussion, Isabelle saw her chance and reached for the hunk of white Kryptonite.

It was a huge mistake on her part though, because the minute she touched it, she felt electric charges go flying through her body. Isabelle let go of the rock and Zatanna lunged for it, as did Clark, who was a little bit faster. Zatanna though, quick on white, yelled out, "Enots emoc ereh!" The Kryptonite changed direction and landed in Zatanna's palm.

"Who the hell are you?!" Clark asked as he heard Zatanna's incantation and saw the Kryptonite switch direction in mid-air.

Zatanna couldn't answer as shock waves went up and down her body from the rock in her hands. She let go of the rock, which landed in Clark's hand, surging him with waves of power.

Zatanna felt the powerful energy in the room and shouted, "Me? What the hell are you?!"

"Not now!" Clark yelled as he focused his energy on Isabelle. "Let me get to her first!"

"Clark, no!" Zatanna said, trying to stop him. She froze the heat waves emanating from his eyes and then blocked his eyes from shooting out anymore energy beams without blocking his vision.

Zatanna then turned to Isabelle and, opening the book to a marked page read out,

"_Let the enchantment once begun_

_End its course and now be done._

_Spirits that try to stay,_

_From this body I now flay_!"

The spell worked for a short moment, with the souls of Isabelle, Brianna, and Madeleine departing from their hosts' bodies. But what Zatanna hadn't counted on was the skin ripping off of Lana's body, and hearing one bloodcurdling scream as it did so. Lana's skin, replete with tattoo, disappeared, and Lana's body stood there, still, skinless and dead.

Clark, eyes wide in horror asked frantically, "Zatanna? Zatanna, what did you do?"

* * *

Writer's Note: Lol, thanks Mark, for catching the misspelling...I honestly hadn't noticed that I had misspelled truth! And yeah, the forwards spell? Didn't have the effect she wanted, as you'll soon find out. 


	11. Higher Purpose

"Zatanna? What the hell did you do to Lana?" Clark asked again, his voice beyond the point of cracking with fear.

"I-I didn't mean to. Lana wasn't-this-it wasn't-" Zatanna stared at Lana's dead, skinless body in shock, horror, and the slightest bit of morbid curiosity. What had she done exactly? Where had she gone wrong? And Lois and Chloe? Were they flayed as well? Zatanna swore under her breath as that thought crossed her mind and turned to Clark, who, upon seeing Zatanna's face, realized what she was thinking.

"I'll go check," Clark said, "but you stay here. We need to talk." With that, Clark sped off in a red and blue blur, leaving Zatanna alone with Lana's body. Zatanna involuntarily shuddered and started to walk over to Lana's body, to see if any piece of the tattoo had remained behind on her. There was nothing save red muscle and some blood.

Zatanna involuntarily retched.

Clark reappeared in less than three minutes, not even the slightest bit breathless. "They're okay," Clark said. Unconscious at the moment, but still breathing, living, and with their skin. Now, we have to discuss what the hell happened here."

"Yeah, you know…funny thing about that," Zatanna replied, trying her best to keep worry and nervousness out of her voice. "I don't know," the sorceress shrugged. "No clue at all. I'm more clueless than Alicia Silverstone will ever be."

"You're avoiding."

"Hardly, super boy. I honestly don't know what's happened here, and I need to find out. You, you're just blocking me. Look, Clark, I don't wanna do anything that I'll regret, so just let me get past you and figure out what the hell it is that's going on here."

"I don't think so."

"You asked for it."

"Asked fo-"

"Evom!" Zatanna shouted out, sending Clark hurtling back against a cave wall. The force with which Zatanna sent him actually knocked Clark out and Zatanna regretted that just the slightest bit, but she didn't have time to go all confrontational on him right now. She needed to figure out a way to save Lana.

* * *

The rain pelted down on Zatanna as she stood outside Madame Xanadu's home. The young sorceress had been apprehensive about using any spells after her disaster with Lana, besides that one spell to throw Clark aside, which is why she hadn't formed a shield around her to protect herself from the rain.

Xanadu opened the door, this time dressed a tad bit more formally in a flowy, empire waist black gown. Her striking eyes stood out beneath her long lashes, and she smiled pleasantly at Zatanna. "Zee, hi. What a…well…not surprise," she said, smiling charmingly. "Come on in."

"Hey Xan. You weren't busy or anything, were you?"

"Hardly sweetie. Just felt a little dressy. Do you want anything to drink?" Xanadu asked as she led Zatanna to her living room.

"Sure. Dirty martini, five olives."

"You realize you're only eighteen, right?"

Zatanna rolled her eyes. All this time and Xanadu still treated her like a little sister. "Yeah, okay. Cherry coke? With five maraschino cherries?"

"Better."

Moments later, after both women were settled down in Xanadu's comfortable living room, Xanadu asked Zatanna gently, "So, what's on your mind?"

Zatanna looked Xanadu in the eye for a moment, not exactly sure how much Xanadu knew or how much she suspected. Judging by Xan's cryptic message at her last visit, though, Xan definitely knew something was up. But what? "I flayed Lana," she stated simply, forcing the words to come out of her mouth as best she could.

"Late news," Xanadu replied. "I knew it would happen the last time you came here."

"And you didn't warn me…why?"

"I can't disturb the plan of things."

"The plan of things?" Zatanna asked incredulously. "What 'plan of things'? Xan, I killed a girl today, a friend of mine, point in fact, and you're telling me you couldn't stop it because you couldn't disturb the 'plan of things'?"

Xanadu nodded a regal little nod and said, "That's exactly what I'm telling you, Zee."

Zatanna took a deep breath. She liked Xanadu a lot, she really did. But she hated the whole cryptic-girl thing that Xanadu put on sometimes. Why couldn't the woman just speak straight-forwardly? "You wanna be more specific there, Xan? Or do I really need to resort to a truth spell?"

"We both know you're too frightened to really use any spells just right now, Zee," Xan countered. "But sure, I'll specify this a little bit for you. Lana's special, as I'm sure you know. But her destiny, it's not just the simple little destiny of a small town girl. She's not destined to become some mediocre fashion designer or a television newscaster. She's meant to play a much bigger role in things to come, a role with more power."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't say much further Zatanna. But all of this has been foretold for years. Look into any mythology and folklore, be it Native American or Egyptian or even Etruscan. There are bigger powers at play here, bigger powers for which we are just pawns. You won't understand it for years to come, indeed, none of us will. But we all have some major part of play here, and yours right now is bringing Lana back."

"So I can bring her back?" Zatanna asked, hopefully, suddenly getting from her cryptic friend the answers that she sought. The bit about her being a pawn in a bigger game confused her, but whatever it was, Xan had made it clear that it had something to do with Lana.

"Of course you can. And you will…but you need to act soon to do it. Not everything is pre-destined. Lana's flaying was…but hers coming back…well, not so much."

"You're kidding me with this, right? How can only part of our lives be pre-destined?"

"I can't answer that, Zee. I don't think anyone could. It's the way of the world."

"You know, if you could be any vaguer…"

"Don't hate me, Zee. I'm only the messenger here, the conduit. But heed my warning. Act quickly or it will all have been for nothing."

"So, where do I start then?"

"Egypt."

"Egypt? As in Africa Egypt. With the pyramids and the river Nile and all that?"

"The one and the same."

Zatanna nodded. That wouldn't be too impossible to do. She could forge a note and take it to Smallville High, telling them that she had to be away for a family emergency. Then she could go to Egypt and figure out whatever needed to be figured out. Hopefully, things wouldn't be as difficult as searching for her father would be. "I can do that. No problem."

"There is a catch though."

"Isn't there always?"

"You need to take Clark Kent with you."

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all…thanks for the great reviews, and please keep them coming! Lol, yeah, I tend to reference Buffy quite a bit unconsciously, I noticed as I went back to read the story so far. Sadly, I'm first and foremost a Buffy fanatic, and so I guess that has a lot to do with it? A for Elphalba, that was a reference to the book "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, which tells the tale of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, whose name happens to be Elphalba. Great book…if no one's read it yet, you guys should. Amazing stuff, that. Anyway, yeah…so…keep on reading and reviewing, yeah people? And enjoy! 


	12. In The Barn

Zatanna stood awkwardly outside Clark Kent's barn the next morning, her arms tightly wrapped around herself. She had never felt more uncomfortable before and was really very unsure about how to go about approaching the handsome young man about her predicament. There was also the issue of the aftermath of last night's incidents and both Clark and Zatanna's mutual discovery of each other's powers.

This was going to be one hell of a morning.

The young woman braced herself and stepped through the doorway and into the barn, her smoldering eyes gazing about her cautiously. She didn't want Clark to jump out of her nowhere and attack her. She knew he had super speed, and she also knew that Clark could shoot heat rays from his eyes. What other powers he had, Zatanna wasn't too sure of, and she wasn't certain that she wanted to find out about them either.

"Clark?" Zatanna asked cautiously. "Clark, are you here?"

"Upstairs!" Clark replied, his voice oddly tight. Zatanna said a quick protection spell and walked up the steps leading up to what Lana had once told her Clark called his Fortress of Solitude. Personally, Zatanna thought it was a hokey name, but hey, to each his own, right?

Zatanna soon found herself on the second floor of the barn, with Clark's back turned to her. He was looking out the window out into the sky, patiently waiting for her to meet him upstairs. "Hey…" Zatanna started uncomfortably.

"Hey. Maybe we should sit." Clark said, motioning to his couches. Zatanna lowered herself onto one of them while Clark sat down on the one opposite her.

"What's on your mind?" Zatanna asked. She kept her gaze averted, not daring to look into Clark's big blue eyes.

"A lot of things," he replied softly. "Yesterday. The whole Lana, Lois, and Chloe possession thing. Who you really are. Lana's death. A lot."

Zatanna slowly nodded, guilt slowly filling her up. She'd killed Lana Lang last night. She'd killed maybe the one person she could honestly have called her friend. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She needed to stay focused, strong. She needed to talk to Clark about what Xan had told her, or rather what she hadn't told her, yesterday. She needed to tell Clark about the trip they needed to take to Egypt to bring Lana back.

But first she needed Clark's trust back.

"Look, Clark, I get that you have a lot of questions, and maybe I should start 'fessing up. But I'm not the only here who had secrets. You have your share too, so if its share time for me, it is so show-and-tell for you as well."

"Fine," Clark agreed, giving a quick nod. "That works for me."

"Great. So…oh, hell, where do I start?"

"At the beginning, maybe?"

Zatanna sighed and nodded, licking her lips in the most unsexual way that she could. Judging by the spark in Clark's eye, it wasn't unsexual at all. She considered getting rid of the spell she'd cast on him when she'd first arrived in Smallville – the one that made men of inhuman power unquestionably attracted to her – but decided against it. The only thing that would achieve was further the animosity between them, a thing that Zatanna couldn't possibly deal with right now. Not with Lana's possible rebirth hanging in the balance. Maybe she could Renfield him, but what if that messed up his mind completely? No, better keep him the way he is now.

"Zatanna? You still here?"

Zatanna immediately snapped out of her musings. "Oh, yeah, hey. Sorry. Anyway, so at the beginning, right? Well…I'm a sorceress."

"A sorceress. As in witch."

"Sort of a different concept, but for the sake of explanation, sure, why not?"

"So it was you who was responsible for the possessions of Lana, Chloe, and Lois."

"Wait, what? No, no. I had nothing to do with that fiasco. I'm sure that the possessions would have happened in an alternate universe where I didn't even exist anyway. The possession thing, that's for Lana to tell you."

"But she can't."

"You know what: I'll get back to that in a moment. But, first, let me explain everything about me…" Zatanna then proceeded to fill Clark in about her discovery of her being Homo magi, what homo magi were, and from there onwards she explained her father's disappearance as well as her reasons for being in Smallville. She also delved into whatever went on between herself and Lana Lang, including all about the strange tattoo. Zatanna was a little uncertain about the tattoo part, but the reason they had to go to Egypt was to find a way to bring Lana back anyway, and the tattoo was the entire reason why she was skinless. So, Zatanna spilled all of her magic beans.

Clark listened quietly, attentively, showing no real sign of anything while Zatanna explained everything to him. The only time his expression shifted – and it was oh-so-slight that if Zatanna hadn't had her eyes on him the entire time she was talking she would have missed it – was when she explained to Clark how Lana had come about getting the tattoo. She drew the tattoo out for Clark, and Clark seemed a little surprised by it, but it wasn't a huge change in his expression at all.

Whatever secret it was that Clark was keeping, he had been keeping it a good long while. There was no other way he could have kept his face to expressionless and dry.

"So, this mystic friend of yours wants you to go to Egypt to find a way to bring Lana back."

Zatanna nodded. "Pretty much."

"And she wants you to bring me with you?"

"It seems as though I'm gonna need your help, Clark. Apparently magick-y goodness isn't enough to get what she needs. I need other powers, like super speed and whatever else it is you're hiding. Please tell me you can help me. There's no one else I can turn to."

Clark was silent for a moment, and then he nodded. "I'm all yours." After all, this was for Lana Lang. He'd do anything for her, that he'd known for a long while now.

Zatanna tilted her head to one side and smiled mischievously. "You know, super boy, under any other circumstance, that would have been a comment I would have been extremely giddy to hear. Not that I'm not happy right now, of course."

"Of course."

"So, what about you? What's your big bad secret?"

"I'll fill you in on the way, Zatanna. The question right now is, how do we get to Egypt? We're in Smallville, Kansas. Egypt's very not here."

"Well, I don't know how to do a teleportation spell or anything, but I was hoping that you could fly or something."

"You know…there are circumstances where I can, but this isn't one of them. I can't force myself to."

"Can you run on water?"

Clark shook his head. "I'm not fast enough." Clark was silent for moment, but then a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. He smiled and asked, "Zatanna, do you know how to locate someone?"

"I know some small spells, why?"

"I know just the person who can help us out here."


	13. The Alien, The Sorceress, The Speedster

Egypt

"So this is Egypt," Bart Allen said in awe.

"This would be Egypt." Zatanna replied, nodding.

"Never expected to be here in the middle of the school year," Clark added as the trio gazed up at a set of not-so-tiny pyramids.

"So, what now?" Bart asked, already getting restless.

"Mlac nwod," Zatanna whispered quietly. Bart instantly seemed far more relaxed and at ease than Clark had ever seen him in the few days that had spent together earlier that year. "I honestly don't know. The pit-stop we made to Xanadu's before coming to get you revealed practically nothing. Not that she was helpful the first two times anyway. She said something about finding a temple that was attributed to both Khepri and Horus. Our answer would be there."

"Xanadu. What kind of zany name is that?"

"At least he's not named after an insane Simpson," Zatanna replied instantly. She shot Bart a friendly, if slightly flirty, smile to ensure him that she wasn't seriously insulting him. Bart nodded his appreciation and turned back to the pyramids.

After Clark had asked Zatanna to cast a do a quick locater spell, they found that she had no problem at all finding Bart, who had been in Central City when she found him. The two friends had headed off to retrieve Bart, but before they did so they stopped at Xanadu's for a quick chat to see if they could glean any more information from her. All she told them was that they were looking for a certain artifact that belonged to the Egyptian god Khepri. She had also discreetly started flirting with Clark, an action that Zatanna quickly put to rest with a harsh glare.

Departing from there, the duo had sped off to Central City where they found Bart about to steal a priceless artifact from a local museum. While Clark thought it was wrong, Zatanna thought it was a typical thief thing, but the two of them had stopped him long enough to explain what they needed the speedster for. Bart agreed, liking the thought of hanging out with Clark some more, loving the fact that a goddess in fishnets needed his help, and figuring that he might get something priceless from a pyramid somewhere.

And so, the three of them had literally sped off to Egypt in an awkward position that lasted all of a few minutes.

"Where exactly are we gonna find this temple?" Bart asked after a moment of silence.

"I honestly have no clue, Bart," Zatanna replied. "Xan didn't have a picture or anything available. Me, I can't do any locater spells without something, or someone, who has a fair idea of what exactly it is that I'm looking for. But, you know, I was hoping…I've got two extremely handsome men here who can both run really, really fast. If you guys were to, say, run really fast all around Egypt and report back to me here, maybe we'll find our toy surprise." Zatanna smiled coyly and Clark and then very flirtatiously at Bart. Both of them melted under her gaze.

"Sure. I can do that," Clark agreed. "More than happy to do so."

"I'll be back in a flash," Bart also replied. The two young men sped off in opposite directions, leaving Zatanna alone for a few moments to ponder over what to do next. Supposing that neither Clark nor Bart could find the temple they were looking for, Zatanna would need to find a group of witches powerful enough to help her find the temple – or possibly unearth it – something that she knew she couldn't do on her own.

Bart came back first, a wide smile across his handsome features. "I think I found what you're looking for, Z'anna. But it's still in excavation mode. No one's there, though, except for this really creepy hawk-falcon thing that gave me the evil eye."

Zatanna squealed with joy and literally jumped into Bart's arms, hugging him tightly. Bart smiled in pleasure and went to make with the snuggly when Zatanna broke apart. "I hope Clark gets back here soon so we can go and find our artifact thing. I need to bring Lana back as soon as possible."

"Don't worry. He'll be here, like, now," Bart said, pointing out a speeding blue blur. In less than a microsecond, Clark stood in front of both Zatanna and Bart, a little upset.

"I found nothing."

"Bart did. Let's go."

Seconds later, the young powerful trio stood in front of the ruins of what seemed to be a sunken temple.

"What happened to this place?" Zatanna asked, surveying the work of the archaeologists who had been working on the site.

"Sunk down in an earthquake? Who knows...but it's here now, and so are we, so I say our timing is pretty tight." Bart replied, nervously looking around for the insane bird he'd seen earlier.

"Now what do we do?" Clark asked.

"I guess we descend down into the ruins and start looking around. Let's just hope that no archaeologist decides to visit the site while we're playing Indiana Jones." Zatanna said, heading over to a ladder that lay just a few feet away. It looked flimsy, so Zatanna cast a quick strength spell over it before she clambered on down into the ruin. Bart and Clark followed suit, Bart going down first and Clark going down right after.

"Jeez, this is going to be hard to navigate," Zatanna said as she stepped away from the ladder. She surveyed the area around her as she stood with her hands on her hips. Most of the area was just pure rock, though there were some uncovered obelisks and other uncovered recently discovered structures all around her. Most prominent were the two statues – one of Khepri and one of Horus, that were on far ends to the ruin. Near the statue of Khepri was what seemed to be an entrance into a lower area somewhere, though Zatanna was sure that it hadn't been in the original plans for the temple. She'd bet her magical heritage on the thing they were looking for being in there. "Guys," she said, "cave."

Clark turned to look at the cave and then back at Zatanna. "I don't think it looks too safe, Zatanna. It might collapse at any time."

"I can do a protection spell to keep the cave from caving in. I think I can anyway. In any case, you're indestructible and Bart's faster than, well, I wanna say light but I'm not so sure. In any case, we've all got powers of some sort so we should be of the good. You guys coming?" Zatanna asked over her shoulder as she started walking to the caves. Clark immediately followed, as did Bart, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Looks like its waterless water park fun," Bart said as they approached the cave. There were no steps into the entrance, but rather what looked to be a slide to descend into the entrance. A slide strewn with rocks, pebbles, and other nasties. "There's got to be another way in."

"Clark, can you do an x-ray thing? See if you can come up with anything?"

"I'm on it," Clark said, taking a few steps back.

While he concentrated on trying to find another way into the lower parts of the excavation site, Bart turned to Zatanna and asked her, "So, you and Clark…you guys are a thing, huh?"

Zatanna blinked blankly for a moment or two before she could fully comprehend what it was that Bart had asked her exactly. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"I was seeing what your status was with Clark so I could see if I could hit on you or not."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Umm...Clark and I…well, after the whole flaying Lana deal, we're -"

"Hey guys, I found something here!" Clark yelled out from across the excavation site. Zatanna and Bart headed over to where Clark stood, which was an unremarkable area really. Lots of boulders and things, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Found what, exactly, Clark?" Zatanna asked.

"There's an entrance," he said, pointing to what Zatanna realized was a broken obelisk. "Steps and everything. Whatever you were looking at earlier, it couldn't have been the right place."

"Great. So let's move it to the side and get cracking. None of us can be gone too long without any questions being asked."

"Actually, I got no one waiting for me," Bart volunteered.

"Yeah, me either. Guess that means its only actually Clark and Lana. Clark…you wanna move the obelisk?"

Clark stepped forward to get to the obelisk but suddenly halted when he heard a screeching coming from seemingly out of nowhere.

The three whipped around and saw a large falcon come flying at them.

"Bart, was that the bird thing you were talking about?"

"Yep."

Zatanna swore. "Ezeefr!" Zatanna screamed, concentrating on the falcon. The falcon stopped for just a moment but then came back at them full speed ahead. "Clark, move the obelisk now, Bart, grab on to me, I might need some speed to get into the cave. Peels!"

While Clark and Bart followed Zatanna's instructions, the sorceress herself tried whipping up every spell in her arsenal to stop the falcon. Nothing worked. In the back of her mind, while Zatanna shot out spell after spell, she realized why.

The falcon. He wasn't just a falcon. He was connected to the god Horus somehow. Which meant he was protecting whatever it was that Zatanna wanted.

"Bart, Clark, inside! Now!" Zatanna screamed. Bart pulled Zatanna into the cave behind Clark, and as soon as the three young adventurers were inside, Zatanna yelled out, "Ksilebo evom kcab!"

The obelisk slid back into place as Zatanna, Bart, and Clark landed at the foot of the stairwell.

"What the hell was that?!" Bart exclaimed.

"Some emissary of Horus, I guess," Zatanna said as she pulled out three of the hair sticks that had been holding her hair in their half bun. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders as she handed a stick to Bart and Clark. "Riah skcits ot til sehcrot!"

"Horus?" Bart asked as his face lit up from the light of the torches.

"He was an Egyptian god, Bart. Probably one of the most powerful," Clark replied.

"Whatever this thing is, it's incredibly powerful."

"You got that right," Bart said as he noticed the ground around them.

Zatanna and Clark followed his gaze, suddenly wishing that they hadn't.

Strewn all across the ground were skeletons.

And some very fresh dead bodies.


	14. Inside the Temple

"You know, guys, this is something I didn't sign up for," Bart said as he surveyed the dead bodies that were littered around him, Zatanna, and Clark Kent.

"I honestly don't think any of us did," Zatanna replied, trying her best to keep from retching. She actually succeeded, something that gave her a tiny happy. "You know, maybe I should have the Indiana Jones quip to myself. I jinxed the whole dead body thing."

Clark shook his head. "Great. We're somewhere in the middle of a country where none of us have been before and we were just attacked by a cast member of 'Birds'. It can't get any -" Bart zipped over and put his hands over Clark's mouth. He would have snapped it shut, except Clark had like jaws of steel.

"Don't complete that sentence, dude, I'm begging you. The last thing we need is the evil dead rising."

"If that happens, we can handle it. I mean, come on, we have an alien with superpowers, a speedster that can bust through things, and me," Zatanna said confidently. "I'm not too worried about battling forces of the undead. I'm more worried about not saving Lana on time."

"She's right," Clark said after he pried Bart's hands off of his mouth. "Better we start walking instead of sitting her dreaming up what kind of nasties and uglies are waiting for us up ahead. It'll make this all the much harder."

"Let's go then," Zatanna said, leading the way. Clark followed right behind her, and Bart stepped behind, just a little reluctant. He was fine facing off mobsters and gangs and the like, but stick him in with anything supernatural, and Bart wanted nothing to do with any of it.

As the trio walked deeper into the dark corridor, Zatanna studied the markings on the walls. The hieroglyphics were old, and told of a myth that Zatanna figured no one even knew about yet. A new Egyptian myth, unrecorded, untold of, undiscovered.

The young witch felt the magic in this place, and it overwhelmed her. Uncomfortably so.

"Do any of these glyphs make any sense to you?" Clark asked softly.

"I'm not sure. I've got some theories, but they're just that. Theories."

"What are they?" Bart asked out from behind Clark.

"The images, they seem to be depicting a transference of power. An ancient power, reawakened somehow, and reborn."

"I don't like the sound of that," Clark said.

"Yeah, coz, sounds a little Satanic to me," Bart added. "Maybe we should turn back?"

Zatanna shook her head firmly. "Not until we get what we need from here. And you aren't going anywhere, Bart. No offense to Clark or anything, but we might need someone who's faster than he is."

They walked in silence for a few more moments, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Zatanna, trapped with her worries about Lana and hoping that they'd be in time to save her. Clark's thoughts were pretty much the same. Bart's mind was racing wildly between ways to ask Zatanna out, wondering if anything of value would be found here that he could get big bucks for, and relishing the idea of him and two other super-powered beings working like a team this way.

Soon enough they came up to a set of double doors made of gilded gold. One door carried the image of Khepri while the other showed an image of Horus.

Zatanna tilted her head and studied the images, intrigued by their beauty. The doors had to have been crafted years ago, but they looked brand spanking new.

"Whoa…can I take one home?" Bart asked.

"They're historical artifacts Bart, I don't think that's the right thing to do." Clark said.

"Honestly, Clark, any archaeologist who finds this place is going to take the doors to some museum anyway. I say we let the kid take one, or at least a chunk of one," Zatanna piped up as she neared the doors. "Hcrot taolf," she then said as she let go of her torch. The torch floated in mid-air on its own, following the young sorceress as she stepped up to the doors and put her hands on them.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked.

"Touching the doors. Trying to see if there's any magic in them." Zatanna stood there for a long moment, her hands on the door, trying to see if there was anything. She felt a slight vibration, but it wasn't from the door. It was from behind the door. "No enchantments on the door. But whatever's behind it is packing one hell of a punch."

"How do we get in?" Bart asked, looking at the doors carefully. Though it was obvious they were two doors, there didn't seem to be even a slight space between them, showing that the doors could part.

"Srood neop!" Zatanna commanded, standing a few feet away. Nothing happened. The doors didn't even budge an inch.

"Open sesame?" Bart asked reluctantly. Zatanna looked at him, eyebrow raised, and then looked back at the door.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," she said with a sigh. "Nepo emases!"

For a moment nothing happened. Then, as though they were the mechanical doors at a supermarket, the doors swung open.

"How in hell does a fairy tale saying open an ancient Egyptian door?" Zatanna asked incredulously.

"Do you really wanna question a good thing?" Bart asked, looking through the opening. It was a magnificent chamber, from what he could see. The entire room was imbued with light and a gold sheen spilt out into the passage where the trio stood. "Amazing," he said under his breath.

"Typical," Zatanna added. "Come on guys, let's go in here and find our thing." The young woman said, leading the way into the room. Clark and Bart followed her lead, and the three stepped into the stone and gold chamber, all of them awestruck.

"Jeez, with the stuff in this place, I'd never have to steal again," Bart said.

"Help yourself, Bart. Clark, I need your help with finding this artifact that's going to bring Lana back to life." Zatanna said. She indicated the area around her, which seemed to be filled with gold offerings to the gods. Clark nodded as Bart zipped around the room.

As both Zatanna and Clark checked out the artifacts in the room, Zatanna checking each artifact against her knowledge of Egyptian knowledge and Clark looking for anything that had even the slightest resemblance to a Kryptonian symbol on it, Clark suddenly asked Zatanna, "So, what's going on between you and Bart?"

"Excuse me?" Zatanna asked, setting down an amulet inlaid with lapis lazuli that gave her no magical buzz whatsoever.

"I asked what was going on between you and Bart."

"Oh…nothing. Why?"

"Well, he seemed to like you, and you don't seem to not mind him."

"He's a nice guy Clark. I haven't known him for more than a couple of hours, so it's a little early to really pass judgment on him. Why?"

"Just asking."

"You're jealous aren't you?" Zatanna asked, smiling coquettishly.

"What?!" Clark scoffed. "No, not at all. I was just, you know, curious. He has a way with the girls."

"Yeah…that he does. And okay, I was flirting with him a little bit? But…face it, Clark. You're in love with Lana Lang. Plus you have the hots for Lois Lane. Where do I fit into this whole picture anyway? I'm not in Smallville for that long a time. Besides, I don't get why you're still even interested in me, I mean, hello, I killed the girl you love." Zatanna said. She realized very well that it was her spell that clouded his emotions, but she couldn't let him know that. She made a mental note to lift the spell as soon as Lana was alive again. After all, the spell was of no use to her anymore. Clark's powers wouldn't aid her in finding her father.

Clark opened his mouth to reply but he was cut short by a scream from the other side of the room along with the sound of electric buzzing. Clark and Zatanna both whipped around to see Bart standing in front of a stone statue, his hair standing even more on end than usual. He looked a little miffed, and quite fried.

"I'm thinking he found it," Zatanna said.

"Looks like," Clark added as the duo headed over to their comrade. Clark helped Bart take a seat while the young sorceress studied the statue. It was the statue of an Egyptian pharaoh, probably of whomever it was that sanctioned the building of this temple, and he seemed to be holding an image of Khepri. It was a golden scarab, Zatanna noticed.

The sorceress felt like whacking herself on her head. Of course! In Egyptian myth, the scarab was associated with rebirth, renewal, and resurrection. How could have she been so blind? "This is it, guys," she said, reaching for it. The scarab came off in Zatanna's hand easily, and Bart stared at the sorceress in bewilderment. "How did you do that?"

Zatanna shrugged. "I'm guessing only a person of pure magic can touch it," she replied, studying the scarab. There were markings on it that she didn't understand, markings that she hoped Madame Xanadu could help her decipher. She knew that they were nothing like what were on the cave walls in Smallville, so Clark definitely couldn't help her out here. "Look, we should get out of here before anything god-like decides to wake up. I'm sure somewhere some mystical power has been alerted to ours getting this thing." Zatanna said, starting to move towards the exit of the chamber. Bart, who was nearly completely recovered now, followed with Clark close at his heels. Zatanna noted that Bart had taken some small treasures in him but didn't mind. She wouldn't do anything like that herself, but it wasn't like Bart was already filthy rich and was doing it for more money.

The trio headed out of the chamber and quickly walked out into the narrow passageway, heading towards the exit as soon as possible while trying to avoid all of the dead bodies and bones that were littered around.

"Think bird-boy's still out there?" Bart asked as they approached the stairs.

"Only one way to find out," Zatanna replied. "Ksilebo evom morf tixe!"

The obelisk slowly moved away and sunlight spilt into the corridor. They waited a moment or two and, when their eyesight had adjusted, the trio stepped out of the obelisk.

"Anything?"

"Not a thing," Clark replied, surveying the area. There was no sign of the bird.

"Great. Let's get headed back to Smallville then," Zatanna said, securing the scarab.

* * *

As Zatanna, Clark, and Bart prepared for the race back to Smallville, they failed to notice the falcon that had attacked them earlier perch itself in the shadow of a pyramid close by. The falcon had been protecting this scarab for centuries, waiting for the one person who would come and use the scarab for the very purpose for which it had been made in the first place.

Horus' emissary watched them leave with pleasure.

Prophecies of old were finally coming true.

Soon the liberator of the gods would be born.

* * *

Writer's Note:

So, okay, a few explanations here today. :-D Firstly, I didn't have Zatanna enchant anything to fly there because she wasn't certain as to how long she could keep any spell to last. As seen with the spell that attracted men of power to her, she had to recharge the spell every once in awhile. Plus, there's the fact that Bart would be faster than anything she could enchant since she can't magically channel the speed force (not my version of Zee anyway. :-D) That and I really liked Smallville's characterization of Bart.

I like the idea of Madame Xanadu, except I imagined Xan as a college aged student…someone maybe a bit younger. And for Zatanna, for some reason (I honestly don't know why) but I've always personally imagined her as Rachel Bilson, even though the only thing I've seen her in was in that one episode of Buffy from season 7. I'm weird that way.

Keep on R&R-ing, and I hope you guys like the direction I'm going to take with this fic!!!

(PS. Since the fic's also headed in a new direction, it might be headed for a title change, but I'll keep you posted on that!)

Me


	15. Researching the Scarab

"This is getting so annoying!" Zatanna exclaimed as she shut another book and threw it onto a nearby pile. Her frustration was getting higher and higher, and there was nothing she could do to calm it down.

Fact was, Zatanna had been feeling a little on edge ever since she, Clark, and Bart had left Egypt and come back to Smallville. Getting the scarab had been much too easy, she knew. No evil undead rising to attack them, no swarms of scarabs or locusts trying to eat away at their skin, no lightening storms or anything. It was too weird, she'd realized, as they had passed halfway over the Atlantic Ocean. Getting something that was this important had to mean more.

Zatanna placed her hand on the scarab, which sat on the dirt ground right across from her, and felt another surge of power. This thing, this scarab, it was so ancient and so full of old and powerful magicks. The scarab slightly scared Zatanna. She'd never possessed anything quite this powerful before, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. All she knew was that it was key in bringing Lana back to life.

The sorceress shifted through the pile of books that sat on her left side, which was the unread pile, and chose from them another book on the history of Egyptian magick. She'd just opened it when Bart whizzed into the living room of Shadowcrest, which was where she'd had Bart bring her after they'd done a quick pit stop in Smallville to leave Clark at home.

"Find anything yet?" Bart asked as he plopped down next to Zatanna and picked a book from the top of the pile.

"Nothing," Zatanna answered. "Gallons of nothing." She rubbed her temples exasperatedly.

"Do you maybe…I dunno…want to get something to eat?" Bart asked a little shyly as he zipped through the book in his lap. Nothing. He picked up the next one and started going through it.

"Do I want to – Bart, are you asking me out?"

"No?" Bart said, flustered. "Maybe?"

"Aw, that's so sweet," Zatanna cooed at Bart. Bart blushed a little more, turning redder than usual. "But not now…not until we find out what this thing does and how it's gonna bring Lana back."

Bart nodded. "I get that. So…nothing in any of the books here?" Bart asked as he set down the fifth book he'd been through since he'd come back.

"Nothing. I mean, I get my dad wasn't too big on Egyptian mythology or anything, but this is crazy. We're magical people…we should have tomes on all things magickal," Zatanna set her book down. "Hey, Bart, what time is it?"

"Six-forty-seven a.m., why?"

"I'm wondering if the Gotham City museum will be open right now."

"Gimme one sec," Bart said, zipping out of Zatanna's living room.

Zatanna leaned back for a moment, and smiled to herself slightly. Bart was definitely cute, and he seemed oh-so-ready to help her with everything. She'd bet her life that if she'd been a guy, he wouldn't be with her in Shadowcrest right now, helping her with all this research.

It was sweet of him though, in any case.

"Z'anna," Bart said moments later, zipping back into her living room. "They won't be open until eight."

"Which gives us a little over an hour," Zatanna said. She thought silently for a moment. They had time to kill and none of the books she had were of any help to her right now. And Bart was there too. Granted, she had only known Bart for less than a day, but he was a nice guy, and he was there for her. The least she could do was have breakfast with the guy for all the help he had been giving her. And even though he might not be as classically handsome as Clark, there was something about Bart. Something that touched her in a way that neither Clark or John ever had. And besides, her Dear John letter to John had probably reached him by now, and Clark still had a major hard on for Lana…so maybe all of this was for the best.

"So…you wanna have breakfast?" she asked Bart timidly.

Bart's face broke out into a huge grin as he nodded.

* * *

Three hours later found the two young comrades walking through the St. Roch Museum of History. They had come here after their trip to the museum in Gotham City had been a total failure. The curator in Gotham, a kindly woman who herself claimed to not know much of the scarab or it's surrounding myths, had proposed that they write to the curator at this particular museum. It seemed that he was an expert on all things Egyptian and would be the perfect person to ask about the scarab.

So, Bart and Zatanna had done the curator one better and had sped over to St. Roch as soon as possible.

The name that Zatanna and Bart had been given had been of one Carter Hall, a former college professor who knew much about Egypt and Egyptian myth. As soon as they had reached the museum, they had inquired after him and had been immediately given directions to his office, which was the exact place to where they were headed at that moment.

"Think he'll be able to help us?" Bart asked quietly.

"He better be," Zatanna replied. "I don't know what we'll do if he isn't. Xan won't be any help here. I swear, everyday she grows vaguer and vaguer."

"Any other people you know who have powers like yours? They might be able to help you out."

Zatanna shook her head as she halted in front of a door with Carter Hall's name on it. "No one. Like I said, we could always go to Xan, but she'd be about as helpful as a flashlight would be if you were trying to heat up eighty gallons of water. Well, here's goes nothing," Zatanna said as she knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came a slightly gruff, yet kind, voice from inside the room. Zatanna turned the knob and walked in, followed by Bart.

"Dr. Carter Hall?" she asked.

A man who looked to be about thirty-five years old looked up at Bart and Zatanna. He was a handsome man, with dark hair and dark eyes that peered out from behind horn-rimmed glasses. His brown hair looked to be freshly cut and was combed neatly. A seemed like a kind, intelligent person over all. "Yes? Hello."

Zatanna smiled sweetly at the man, who slowly stood up from his seat behind an expansive wood-and-metal chair. "Hi…I'm Zatanna. Zatanna Zatara. This is my friend Bart Allen. We were wondering if you could help us with an assignment for our history papers?"

Hall looked at the clock on his desk and then back at the ebony-haired sorceress. "Sure, I don't see why not. Our staff meeting isn't for another two hours. What exactly is it that I can help you with?" he asked as he motioned for Bart and Zatanna to take a seat. Both friends slid into plush leather arm chairs across from Hall. As Zatanna lowered herself into her seat, she pulled out the scarab from her Marc Jacobs tote. As she did so, she noticed that his entire office looked like a horrible homage to the natural history museum of hawks. She shuddered. After the freaky falcon in Egypt, she wasn't too fond of birds.

"This," she said, presenting it to Carter Hall. She placed it on his desk and he reached for it, but Zatanna quickly stopped him. "Wait! Sorry. Please, if you don't mind, don't touch it. It's an old, old family heirloom and…I don't think my grandmother would appreciate anyone who wasn't of the Zatara bloodline touching it," Zatanna fibbed.

Hall gave Zatanna a quizzical look but nodded anyway. "Not a problem. What help did you need with it, exactly?"

"Well, see, there's these symbols on the scarab," Zatanna replied, picking the scarab up and showing it to Hall. Hall picked up a magnifying glass and came close to the scarab studying it intently as Zatanna continued. "No one in our family knows what it means, and we heard that the best person to ask would be you."

Hall nodded as he studied the scarab as closely as he could without touching it. "It seems to pre-date any known Egyptian hieroglyphic," he said in awe. "Either that, or it's a completely different set of Egyptian writing that no one has ever seen before."

"Any idea on what it means," Bart asked.

"It could mean any number of things," Hall replied, "but the fact that the heirloom that you are holding is a scarab probably means it has something to do with rebirth. It certainly isn't the name of a pharaoh or anything, because there is too much inscription for it to be anything of the sort."

"Something to do with rebirth," Zatanna repeated.

"Yes. The Egyptians believed that the dung beetle, whose image the scarab is made in, was a sign of rebirth. Funny, because to the farthest of my knowledge, the Egyptians didn't believe in reincarnation."

Zatanna looked at Bart quizzically, and gave him this look that he understood immediately. What they had seen in the corridor in the temple had also depicted some sort of rebirth. Could the images there have been connected to this scarab?

"Dr. Hall," Zatanna said suddenly, "thank you. You've been a huge help." She pulled the scarab away and tucked it back into her tote. "We really do need to be going right now since our free period is almost over." She stood up and shook Hall's hand, as did Bart.

"It was no problem, Miss Zatara. If you have any further questions, here is my card," Hall passed Zatanna and Bart a card each. "Call me at anytime."

"Thank you, sir," Bart said.

As soon as they were outside the office, Bart looked at Zatanna and asked, "So now what?"

"Well, we need to see what's written in those caves, see if there's any hint on how to use this scarab." Zatanna said in hushed tones as they walked away from the office. "I need to go to Smallville though, check up on Lana and make sure there's no other weird things going on there. Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything," Bart nodded.

"Okay, I need you to go back to the temple and get some pictures of what's on the walls and then bring them back to me so I can study them. Take Clark with you if you need to, though I don't know how he's gonna get out of class. Meanwhile, I'll also drop by Xan and see what she knows. Hopefully she'll actually help this time."

"No problem," Bart answered. "So…Smallville first?" Bart asked as he reached for Zatanna, who jumped into his arms. She put her arms around his neck and smiled. He inhaled her scent of ginger and jasmine and nearly swooned. Maybe he'd go a little slower than usual this time…

"Yes, please."

* * *

Writer's Note: Yeah, I agree, the getting of the scarab was a tad easy for them. But it was supposed to be, because the after-effect of getting the scarab and using it on Lana is what's going to make things ugly. I don't think I made it clear at the end that Zatanna was supposed to be able to retrieve the scarab easily, because…well…you'll find out. :-D

Yeah, and on the topic of Xan again…I think when I said college-aged, I meant more near the end of her post-graduate degree. Sorry about that little mix-up. I love Sherilyn Fenn though, I really do. Would've loved it if she had played Harley in the BoP t.v. show. Too sad this thing will never actually be made into anything for the screen.

Anyway, keep on R-and-R-ing guys, I really appreciate the input and the ideas!

Me.


	16. Rebirth

Smallville High was almost out of session by the time Zatanna had gotten back to the high school. She'd made a quick pit stop home first in order to shower and change. Who knew that speeding around the world could get so much dirt in your hair and pores? Feeling more comfortable now in strappy heels, cropped trousers, her trademark fishnet stockings, and a trendy blouse than she had been in the more conservative attire she'd worn to the museums, Zatanna strode confidently into the Torch office, to find Clark typing away at a computer. Worry etched his brow and Zatanna knew that while he was probably writing something for the Torch, his mind was on Lana and her resurrection.

"Clark," Zatanna said as she entered the room.

"Hey," Clark replied, looking away from his screen. "Anything yet?"

"Bart's gone to get some information for me, but we may have something soon. Checked in on Lana and everything seemed to be the same."

Clark nodded and said, "Yeah, I checked on her as well. People have been asking about her though. It's not like her to completely disappear."

"We should have called in sick for her or something. No worries though, by tomorrow, she should hopefully be up and running again. Have you spoken to Chloe or Lois?"

"Nope. I've been avoiding them like kryptonite. I don't want to see them until I can tell them something that doesn't sound too fake."

"Not the best place to avoid them, is it?" Zatanna pointed out. "This is the Torch office. Chloe's domain more or less."

"Yeah, but I made sure she's busy before I got here, though I probably should get going soon."

"Yeah…well, I just wanted to check in with you. Listen, Bart's gonna meet me back at my place. Maybe you should meet us there too. We need to figure out what it is we need to do. I was going to go to Xan's place, but I wanted to wait until Bart got back to see what information he had with him. I might need to go there later tonight, if you and Bart want to join? As far as I'm concerned, the three of us are in this together."

"We'll be there," Clark promised.

"Great. And Clark? Lana will be okay," Zatanna said flashing him a warm smile before she left.

* * *

"God, whoever discovered that sticking pineapple with Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and mushrooms would make a to-die-for pizza was seriously a kitchen god," Bart said that evening as he shoved half a slice of pizza in his mouth. Pizza sauce sputtered out of his mouth and onto Zatanna's countered. The sorceress gave the reverse spell and sent the sauce back onto his face, causing her to erupt with laughter, and Bart to look at her shyly. Clark stood next to them, silently picking the pineapple off of his pizza as all three of them studied the blown-up photographs of the temple walls.

"I seriously wish the translating spell had worked," Zatanna said as she reached for another slice of pizza. "Would have made some of those things so much easier to read." She pulled one photograph close while Clark and Bart switched their photos for some others, looking for something, anything, which might help them.

"Guess even you don't have infinitesimal power," Bart said.

"I'm still a fledgling magician," Zatanna offered. "A mere spellcaster, if you will. Maybe my powers will grow? Kind of scary, that, but yeah."

"There's nothing here either," Clark said as he tossed another photograph.

"Hey, I think I might have found something here," Zatanna said as she picked the photograph she was studying up. "Yeah, definitely found something here," Zatanna said. She picked set the photo back down and showed it to Clark and Bart. The picture depicted a young woman, seemingly a witch, taking the scarab and opening it down the middle. Next to her was a mummy. The next image depicted the figure of a goddess bursting free from the bandages.

"Guess we've found our rebirth tale."

"What does it mean?"

"Apparently what we need is inside the scarab. It's so typical! Why hadn't I seen it before?"

"Inexperience?" Bart offered, trying to be helpful. Zatanna shot him a look so full of spite that he backed away instantly. "I meant too much stress!"

She smiled at him as she wrinkled her nose. "That's better. Come on, I say we get back to the caves and bring our girl to life."

* * *

"Think this will work?" Bart asked as the trio gathered inside the inner chamber of the caves. Lana's body was still there, kept inside a bubble that Zatanna had created earlier to stop the body from decaying any.

"It should. I mean, we are dealing with an ancient power here…and they're usually the most powerful. Undiluted by changes in the world," Zatanna said as she pulled the scarab out of her bag. Along with the scarab, she also pulled out a set of clothes for Lana to wear, and some other ingredients she might need to aid in bringing Lana back. As soon as she had set things up by placing some protective wards and preparing a few vials of potions that she'd need if she accidentally unleashed the ultimate evil, Zatanna turned to Clark and Bart and said, "Hey, it might be better if you guys wait outside. I don't know how what's in the scarab will affect you guys, and I'm not too keen on taking any more risks."

Clark nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I'll close the cave wall while we wait."

"Yeah. There aren't any other openings in here, right?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Good." Zatanna smiled. Clark nodded and walked out, followed by Bart, who bade his current crush good luck before he stepped out of the chamber.

Zatanna watched the walls close and then turned back to the scarab and Lana. She picked up some of her supplies and anointed Lana's body with some herbs and creams. Zatanna then picked the scarab up off the floor, shuddering slightly with the power that emanated from it. The sorceress brought it close to Lana and then said, "Nepo."

The scarab did nothing.

Zatanna narrowed her eyes at the scarab and then pulled a book out of her tote. The book carried a list of simple translated words that Zatanna could use as a spell if she needed to. She opened the book and quickly flipped through it, coming across the translations for the word 'open.' She found the ancient Egyptian word for it and – checking to make sure her pronunciation was correct – set the book back down. She then walked over to Lana and gave the command for the scarab to open again – this time in Egyptian.

The scarab started to pulse in Zatanna's hand as the hieroglyphs slowly started to fade off of the scarab. The scarab then lifted itself out of Zatanna's hand and glided over to Lana, placing itself where Lana's bellybutton would have been. The top of the scarab, where it's mouth would be, Zatanna guessed, opened, and an odd looking essence came pouring out of it. It looked to be thick, and tar-like, but it shimmered from somewhere deep inside. The substance smelled somewhat floral, but with shades of rainwater. It would have been a pleasant scent if it was a little less stale.

The substance, or the essence, whatever it was, surrounded Lana, snaking around her dead body. The essence snapped Lana's jaw open and went straight into her mouth and down her throat. Zatanna watched in horror as Lana's body started to writhe and jerk around as the essence poured itself into Lana's body. She saw Lana's body slowly come back to life, though, with the sudden growth of skin and hair. As Lana's body twirled slowly in mid-air, Zatanna also noted the slow return of Lana's mysterious tattoo.

Soon, the last dregs of the mysterious essence from the scarab had been taken in by Lana's mouth, and the scarab detached itself from Lana, falling to the floor and bursting in a shower of sparks. Lana then fell to the ground, coughing and retching. Zatanna rushed over to her, lifting her up slightly.

"Lana? Lana are you conscious?"

"Wh-where am I?" Lana rasped, gasping for air.

"You're here, you're with us," Zatanna said happily. It had worked. Zatanna got no weird witchy vibe from Lana. "You're with us again."


	17. The Butterfly Effect

Lana Lang felt weird. She couldn't put her finger on it, but her return from the dead made her feel, well, less like herself than she ever had. Even after the creepy tattoo.

It was a week after she had woken up inside the cave, and Lana still couldn't shake the bugging feeling that there was something a little off about her, but what, she didn't know. The morning after Lana had woken up in the cave Zatanna, along with Clark, had explained everything to her when they'd popped by her apartment to check in on her. They'd told her about being possessed by what Lana could only imagine was an evil slut, about how Zatanna had killed her (a thought that would probably never let Lana stop shuddering whenever it popped to the forefront of her mind), and how the both of them, along with Clark, had traveled over to Egypt to get what they needed to bring the young woman back to the world of the living.

To be completely honest, Lana didn't remember what being dead was like. From what she could gather it was only like being asleep. Her soul hadn't gone anywhere or anything, or if it had, she didn't remember where it had gone off to or what she had experienced when it had gone where it had. Lana's last memory, she recalled, was reading aloud an old book that she had gotten off of EBay. After that, everything was blackness.

She wasn't sure that she wanted any of the memories to return in bits and pieces, like Zatanna had hinted that they would.

After Lana's return, she had come across a very worried Jason, who said he had been looking for Lana everywhere. She, with the help of Zatanna, had convinced him that everything was okay and that she had had to run to Metropolis suddenly because something had been dangerously wrong with her Aunt Nell. Lana just hoped that he had bought her little story.

On the brighter side of things, her life did seem to be getting back on track ever since she had returned from the dead. The first few days had been weird, of course, and though she felt so incredibly different, the people around her had started treating her like she was the same old Lana, something that she felt quite blessed for.

Lana was snapped out of her reverie by a tap on her shoulder. The brunette beauty turned around, not paying attention to their English teacher go on about the fable of King Arthur anyway, and saw Zatanna sitting behind her expectantly with a note in her hand. Lana snatched it away from her as quickly and quietly as possible and turned back around, opening the note in her notebook.

'Is everything okay with you and Jason?' the note asked innocently. Lana slowly nodded her head, hoping that Zatanna was watching her. The sorceress was.

Zatanna started scribbling down another note when the bell rang, ending their English class for the day. Lana breathed a sigh of relief, since she hated English, but Zatanna inwardly moaned. English was the one subject she kicked ass in. She grabbed her books and shoved them in her tote, quietly giving the command for them to shrink as she did so, and followed Lana out of the class.

"So he's had no weird questions?" Zatanna asked as the girls walked over to their biology class.

Lana shook her head. "Nothing. Did you put some sort of spell or something on him to make him accept whatever it was I said?"

"Not a single thing," Zatanna promised. "Though I am tempted in implanting memories of you in everyone, but I'm not powerful enough to do it. In any case, it might lead to disaster. I mean, I tried getting that Theroux bitch out of you, and all I left you with were skin and bones. Thank god Clark and Bart were there to help me out."

"Yeah. Clark. Loyal as ever."

"To you more than me, Lana. He still loves you."

"That ship's sailed, Zee," Lana said, using the more intimate, shortened form of Zatanna's name for the first time. Zatanna smiled when she heard it. It showed that Lana wasn't angry with her for killing her. That was a good thing. "Yeah, but maybe only for you, sweetie. He's still digging the Lana-life. Guess he's gonna wait and see if you and Jason will ever amount to anything more than just puppy love."

Lana rolled her eyes at this comment. "Maybe first he needs to learn something about sharing his innermost secrets with those he's supposedly close to," she said as the girls walked in through the door of the biology lab. Lana and Zatanna took their seats near the front of the lab.

"Men. Who needs them?" Zatanna asked. "Oh, yeah, me."

"Speaking of which, what's the news with you and Bart?" Lana asked casually. Though Lana didn't know anything about Bart's super speed or Clark's powers, she had known that the two young men had offered Zatanna much moral support, and she had also noticed how Zatanna brightened up whenever Bart was mentioned.

"Bart's back in Central City," Zatanna said with a sigh. Truth was, she didn't know where in the world Bart Allen was, but she knew that Bart had set up a place for himself in Central City from the money he had gotten from selling a little of the Egyptian gold, so that would probably be his stationary home for awhile. "But we're doing the long distance thing."

"You know, that hardly ever works," Lana said, thinking back to her ex-boyfriend Whitney for an all-too-brief moment.

"I think that with Bart, I'll take my chances," Zatanna replied, knowing full well that a long distance relationship with Bart would never strictly be long distance. He could get anywhere in minutes, so really, the relationship had more chances of working than hers ever did with even John. Zatanna opened her mouth to say something else when she was interrupted by the sound of their biology teacher, Dr. Natalie Gregory, bring up the subject of the day – insects. "God, I hate working with insects in class," Zatanna whispered instead. "They're so tiny, and so hard to dissect and stuff."

Lana merely shrugged. "They're not that bad. Besides, you could probably go ahead and make one all Stay Puft size."

"Yes, because we really want a fifty foot insect." Zatanna barbed.

The girls quieted down as Dr. Gregory went on about insects and their usefulness in the animal kingdom. Zatanna immediately tuned out of the lecture, instead thinking about ways to find her father, a thing she had sorely been ignoring for awhile since she was all too focused trying to help Lana with her tattoo issue and trying to help bring Lana back to life after she screwed up helping Lana on the tattoo issue. Zatanna figured that she could use Smallville as her base of operations for awhile while she tried to figure out what to do about her father. Besides, she also wanted to keep an eye out on Lana and her mysterious tattoo a little bit longer.

Dr. Gregory then stopped speaking and started handing out the insects to lab partners. With Chloe having dropped out of biology after having a spat with Dr. Gregory about dissecting animals in the first place instead of using a computer program that was as detailed as the real thing, Lana's new partner had obviously become Zatanna.

Dr. Gregory placed a butterfly between Lana and Zatanna and walked away to give the rest of their class their insects.

"Poor thing," Lana whispered. "It's so sad that butterflies have such a short life span," she said.

"Yeah." Zatanna replied. "They're awfully beautiful." Zatanna studied the designs on the butterflies wing, loving the mix of black and different shades of oranges and blues.

Lana herself felt a strange kinship with the dead insect. There it lay, beautiful, delicate, lifeless, much like she had only a week ago. She reached out to touch it, and as she did so, she said, "Wish I could just bring it back to life." She felt a warm little spark between the butterfly and her, jerked her finger back for a moment, thinking it was static, and brought it close to the wings again, to caress them gently.

Zatanna smiled at Lana's sentiment, knowing exactly what Lana was thinking.

She snapped out of her reverie, though, the moment she noticed the butterfly's wings starting to jerk a little bit.

"Lana?" she asked a little uncertainly. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"What?" Lana asked, moving her finger away from the butterfly. That's when she also noticed the gentle jerking of the butterfly's wings, which soon became a harmonious fluttering of them. Lana's eyes widened in shock and Zatanna switched glances between Lana and the butterfly.

_What the hell was going on? _Zatanna asked herself. She got off her stool and stepped away from the butterfly, as did Lana, who gave out a little yelp as she did so.

"Girls? Girls, what's wrong," Dr. Gregory asked, turning her head at Lana's yelp.

"Umm, Dr. Gregory," Lana said, trying to keep her voice as sane as possible as she watched the butterfly help itself off of it's mat on the table and flutter into the air, hovering between Lana and Zatanna, "the butterfly you gave us? It's still alive."

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all, thanks for the reviews and the encouragement! I really appreciate it! 

Yeah, I can see why people say there're Buffy elements, though I don't think they're as garishly strong as some are making it out to be. Then again, I could be direly wrong. I guess it depends on how you look at it. :-D As for the guesses as to what's gonna happen next, well…you guys'll just have to read on, though I have to say, I'm enjoying some of the speculation. And Maddie? This definitely isn't the end. :-D Keep on r&r-ing guys, and hope you all enjoy what's to come!

Meeh.


	18. The Butterfly AfterEffect

"What?" Dr. Gregory asked as she rushed over to Lana and Zatanna, who by now were edged up against the table behind them, much to the pleasure of the two male students behind them. "What do you mean its still – oh." Dr. Gregory stopped short as she took note of the butterfly hovering in front of the two brunettes. Her eyes widened in shock. "This is a first."

Zatanna stared intently at the hovering butterfly, a series of spells running through her head, none of which she could actually use without causing a witch hunt hysteria in Smallville. California was much better in dealing with things out of the ordinary than other places in the United States, she thought to herself grumpily.

Lana, for her part, just stood there, staring at the butterfly in shock. She tilted her head to one side and as she did so, she noticed the butterfly also hover over to the side that Lana had tilted her head over to. She looked at it quizzically and tilted her head to the other side, watching carefully as the butterfly shifted over to that side as well.

_Weird. _

Zatanna, who had taken notice of this little exchange, nudged Lana. "Hey…are you controlling this thing?"

"Does it make it less disturbing if I say no?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Funny," Zatanna said sarcastically. "How the hell are you doing it?"

"I don't know!" Lana whispered hurriedly. "It's like there's a connection between the two of us."

Zatanna gave Lana a look as though to ask her what she meant by that, but a net swooping down in front of Lana and Zatanna ended whatever conversation it was that they had begun. Dr. Gregory pulled the butterfly in closer to her, her bright eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"I'll have to study this specimen," she said a little excitedly. "I wonder how it played dead so long. I never knew butterflies did that."

"Yeah," Zatanna said, "sometimes things surprise you that way."

Lana looked away from Zatanna's pointed gaze, as confused as her friend was. She pushed her confusion aside, though, when she felt the growing dread of the butterfly. It was confused, scared, and disoriented. Not that Lana blamed it. The butterfly had just come back from the dead, just as she had a few scant days ago. Lana narrowed her eyes then, taking pity in the creature's discomfort. "Dr. Gregory," Lana said softly, "maybe we should just let it go? After all, it might just have been unconscious or something."

Dr. Gregory shook her head, "I doubt that Lana. These butterflies were put through a process to preserve them after their death so students such as you could study them." Dr. Gregory said as she headed over to her desk. She pulled out a glass jar and opened it up, setting its hole ridden lid to the side. She gently guided the butterfly into the jar and then quickly closed the lid, setting the jar carefully aside. "No, I will definitely study this specimen, and hopefully I will have something new and interesting to discuss with you all in class tomorrow," Dr. Gregory said as she walked back to the front of the lab. There was a bounce in her step now, as Zatanna figured any scientist would have on the verge of a new discovery. "Now, as to today's lesson -" she continued before she was cut off by the bell. "Well, leave your insects where they are. I'll collect them and we'll continue with our lesson plan tomorrow." Dr. Gregory finished. As she stooped to gather her notes and clean the whiteboard, Zatanna and Lana slowly made their way over to the butterfly.

"Can you free it?" Lana asked quietly. "I can feel it's pain, Zatanna. I don't think I can stand it."

Zatanna nodded. "Yeah," she said. The sorceress took a deep breath and said, "Ssalg ot ria." The jar disappeared and as it did so, the lid started to fall. Quickly catching herself, Zatanna said "Dil ot rehtaef." As the feather gently fell, Zatanna and Lana hurried out of the class so as not to raise any suspicion.

Dr. Gregory was still gathering her papers as Lana turned around once they were outside the biology lab. Lana, quickly and surely, led the butterfly out of an open window and into safety before hurrying down the hall with Zatanna.

* * *

"Okay, so that was weird," Zatanna said as soon as the two girls were inside Lana's apartment. After Dr. Gregory's class, Lana and Zatanna had wisely decided it was best to blow off classes for the rest of the day and try and figure out the sudden weirdness that was Lana.

"You're telling me," Lana scoffed as she plopped down on her bed. Zatanna sat down on the floor, leaning back against the bed, and sighed as she rested her head against the bed.

"What the hell was that?" the sorceress asked, completely dumbfounded. "What did you do? And how did you do it?"

"I don't have any answers," Lana said sadly. "I mean, I've felt weird ever since you brought me back, you know? But…I still felt like me. A lesser me than I usually was, but still somewhat me. And then this happens, and I'm still me, but I feel less like me than any of the other mes that I ever felt like. I'm a not-me me."

Zatanna sat up straight and turned around a little, facing Lana. "Wow. And you tell me my spells sound like gibberish."

"You know what I mean."

Zatanna nodded. "Yeah, yeah I do." The sorceress leaned back again and sighed heavily. "I knew bringing you back had been way too easy."

"So…research then? Figure out what you did that made me the way I am?"

"Guess so," Zatanna nodded, getting up. She grabbed her keys of the end table. "Come on lady, we're heading over to Xanadu's."

"Xanadu's?" A new voice piped up behind Zatanna. "What's Xanadu's?"

Zatanna whipped around and found Jason Teague standing behind her, shrugging off his corduroy jacket.

"It's a new salon," Lana piped up as she stood up. "In Metropolis. Zatanna wanted to go check it out. So, we decided to do a girl's night out thing," Lana lied.

Jason nodded a little uncertainly. "Okay…well, you guys go do that. I actually have some business I need to attend to."

"Thanks," Lana said as she kissed her boyfriend gently on the mouth. "We'll catch you later tonight."

"Alright. Oh, and hey, any news on your tattoo?"

"Nothing yet," Lana replied shaking her head. "But soon."

"Soon. Soon is good. Laters, then."

Jason quietly watched Lana and Zatanna leave. As soon as they were out the door, the young man waited a minute or so, and then walked over to the door and opened it to check the hallway. Lana and Zatanna were nowhere to be seen. Jason then did a quick search of the room, looking for something, anything to give him a clue as to why Lana had disappeared last week, but not finding it.

The handsome young man sighed and flopped down on the bed. He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. He knew, he instinctively knew, that Lana had not gone to visit her aunt Nell for a few days. Lana would have contacted him somehow if she was in dire conditions. No, Lana was lying to him, and that didn't bode well for him.

In fact, it could screw everything up in the worst way possible.

Jason sighed, realizing that he would need help here. Help in figuring out why Lana had gone missing and why she had seemed so different in the past week. So, he walked over to the phone and picked it up. He punched in a phone number and then waited a moment.

After two rings, the person he had been trying to reach answered.

"Hi, Mom? We need to talk."

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all, sorry it's taken me so long to update. I lost my net connection for a few days again.  But I'm back, so yay me! :-D Anyway, yeah, there will be more Xanadu, coz I love her too much to not let her appear every few chapters, even though I'm sure some of you will hate me coz of it. No, Lana won't be calling herself Insect Queen or anything. I wanna stay away from the freaky codenames and costumes here. Lol, and yeah Zantac, I know what you mean about the headdress, lol.

Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter and please keep on r-and-r-ing! If I don't update before Christmas, I just wanted to wish everyone HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!


	19. Vague Destiny

"I told you this was all destiny," Madame Xanadu stated simply later that afternoon.

Lana shot Xanadu a look of incredulity while Zatanna's eyes shot figurative daggers at her friend.

"So not helping, Xan," Zatanna replied icily.

"What does she mean by it was all destiny?" Lana asked Zatanna confused. Both Zatanna and Xanadu turned to look at Lana, instantaneously realizing that the last couple of times Zatanna and Xanadu had spoken, Lana had been dead.

"Xan's indicating that you were supposed to die," Zatanna replied. "That for some reason, you've got some higher purpose than being a small-town girl," she filled in.

Lana looked blankly from Zatanna to Xanadu and then back again. She blinked once and then dryly said, "My higher purpose is bringing dead butterflies back to life?"

Zatanna raised an eyebrow at Xanadu. "If that's the reason that she died, then I need to tell you -"

Xanadu raised a hand, indicating Zatanna to stop talking. The brunette shut her mouth and let the mystic speak. "I highly doubt that's the reason that what's happened has happened. There is more, most definitely more. Raising something from the dead may just be one of your powers."

"Just one of my powers?"

"Well, you felt different after coming back, didn't you?"

Lana nodded and opened her mouth to speak but Zatanna interjected. "Don't ask her that. She makes it sound very 'The Three Faces of Eve'."

"Hey!" Lana cried out.

"Sorry sweetie," Zatanna apologized. "But you really do. No, seriously, Xan, what did you mean by one of her powers? Is this a residual witch possession thing?"

"Hardly," Xanadu drawled. "It's really more of a what-you-let-out-of-the-scarab thing." The young woman leaned back in her armchair and looked between her friend and acquaintance as though they should have realized this by now. Granted, she figured that Zatanna already had, but didn't know how to break it to Lana.

"What…what was it that she let out of the scarab exactly?" Lana asked.

"A life essence, if you want to put it in a nutshell," Xanadu replied.

"Right. No nutshells," Zatanna said shaking her head.

"Didn't you look at the myth on the walls of the temple?" Xanadu asked. "I mean, they should have explained everything to you."

"I glanced at them," Zatanna replied, a little uncertainly.

"And?" Xanadu prodded.

"There was a myth," Zatanna continued. "Something regarding the transference of power."

"And?"

"A reawakening of – hey!" Zatanna stood up, suddenly adamant. She unconsciously struck a pose, her hands on her hips as one of her hips jutted out. Xanadu leaned back, satisfied, and gently crossed her arms.

"Yes?"

"What the hell did you have us retrieve?" the sorceress asked, tiny sparks of magick flaring from her fingertips.

"Something to bring Lana back," Xanadu promptly answered. She tilted her head and flashed both Lana and Zatanna a small, knowing smile. "What else would I have you retrieve?"

"She's not completely herself though, is she? She's something other than what she was."

"Like I said, Zee, Lana has a bigger destiny."

Zatanna, getting angrier, stalked over to her friend, the sparks of magick that were jumping out of her fingertips becoming more and more powerful by the second. "Tell me," Zatanna said, upset. The young woman wasn't sure what was going on, and yes, she knew she may have been overreacting, but something was direly off here, something Zatanna didn't understand. And Zatanna hated not understanding what was going on. Xanadu, on the other hand, knew more than she was letting on, and she needed to spill the beans. Soon. "Tell me what this mysterious destiny is, Xan. Tell me what I did to my friend. Llet em eht hturt won!"

No sooner was the spell out of Zatanna's mouth than had Xanadu effectively blocked the spell. "Come on, Zee, I can see the future. You don't really expect a spell you throw at me to seriously work, do you? Look, just sit down, calm down, and I'll tell you whatever it is that I can."

"Whatever you can? Or everything you know?"

"Zatanna, you know I can't upset the balance of the world by telling you everything. Things that happen must happen."

"Remind me why we're friends again?"

"Zee…maybe you should let her talk," Lana softly suggested, her voice calm but her delicate face bearing a mixed expression of worry, confusion, and dread.

"Alright," Zatanna nodded. "Fine. Talk."

Xanadu nodded and took a deep breath. "This isn't going to be an easy explanation, Zee. There're a lot of things coming into play here, a lot of things to be affected by this…this change."

"Wait," Lana stopped Xanadu before she could continue. "Why don't you start by going back to the myth on the temple walls? I mean…that is where all of that started, right?"

Xanadu nodded. "Yes, that's right. The myth – it speaks of an ancient power being reawakened, an ancient power being reborn."

"Right. We've gotten through that already, Xan. What's the rest of it?"

"Well, the myth – in a nutshell – is this: There was this goddess back then, a consort of Khepri, if you will. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, as is most of the mystic underground, but there are reports of her dying. How, I'm not sure, but her essence was trapped inside a scarab and kept in an inner chamber in a temple that was dedicated to Horus and Khepri."

"The temple that I went to."

"Right. In any case, the stage was set for her rebirth, or at least the transfer of her power, to one who would need it most. I guess that was you, Lana."

"That explanation isn't good enough for me," Zatanna answered. "There's some stuff you're deliberately not telling us, Xan. I mean, that nutshell was…u know…not so shell-y?" Zatanna paused for a moment over her choice of words, shook her head, and continued, "You know what I mean. What's the rest of the story?"

"That ties in with Lana's destiny, Zee. Those are things that I am not privileged to tell you."

"Can't you give us a hint?"

"From beneath you it devours?" Xanadu said lamely, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm kidding there. Alright…a small hint then. Here goes: Poetry will bring forth blood, and the white wave will surge this evil forth."

"Any vaguer and you'd make a Picasso look like a Michelangelo." Zatanna said rudely.

"What does it mean?" Lana asked. She stared directly into Xanadu's eyes, feeling more confused now than when she had entered Xanadu's home.

"Like I said, Lana, I really can't give you anything more than that. The rest is up to you guys to figure it out. Just, be sure to do it soon? Things may start to move faster than you like or realize, and the whirlwind of things to come won't be pleasant."

Zatanna sighed dejectedly. "Yes, because portents of doom always tend to be on the chirpy side of pleasant." She stood up. "So…Xan. Thanks for your non-help, yeah?" The sorceress headed towards the door, a little peeved and a little scared, with Lana, who silently thanked Xanadu, in tow.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all! Yeah, the lid thing was pushing it a bit too far. Looking back on it, I could have just had her say "Wols" and have her grab the lid in mid-air.

Anyhow, keep on r-and-r-ing yeah??? Really appreciate all of it!

Me.


	20. Making Plans

"So, what, now Lana's a goddess?" Bart asked, confused. He set down his slice of pizza and peered over the pitcher of cola, staring intently into Zatanna's eyes.

"Either that or she's some sort of freaky hybrid," Zatanna replied. "I'm not too sure. Xanadu's being her usual cryptic self. We'll need to find our answers somewhere else."

"The question is where," Clark asked in a concerned voice.

Zatanna looked silently from one friend to the other, perplexed and confused. She'd been pondering over that very thing the whole night after she and Lana had returned from Xanadu's home, with no idea of what to do next. That was the only reason she'd called Bart and Clark the next morning and asked them to meet her in Metropolis for lunch. They had, of course, agreed to meet her there as soon as she'd suggested it. "I honestly don't know, Clark. There is a magic underground, and there are some names that I know of, but there's no one I can really say will help us for sure."

"Maybe we shouldn't look for someone to help us first? I mean, have you guys tried doing research online? Have you guys tried locating libraries around the world that specialize in books on occult and mystic knowledge?"

"If you can believe it, there was nothing. I asked Jeeves, I jigged with Google, and I found nothing. I even tried using magic to surf the web which, by the way, no one should ever do unless they want to look like an electrocuted cheesy puff in the morning," Zatanna said, indicating her somewhat frizzy hair that morning. "Beauty spells I have yet to perfect," she said glumly.

"How does Lana feel about all of this?" Bart asked.

"She's confused. Worried. Perplexed. She wants answers. Answers that I don't have and Xanadu won't give. I mean, her biggest clue was some weird prophecy thing."

"What was it?"

"I dunno. Something about poetry turning to blood and something about the surge of a white wave? It made no sense. Not that I'm surprised. I mean, Xanadu is our little Rafiki and all."

"I'm sure she'll love being referred to that way."

The group stayed quiet after Bart's last statement, each lost in his or her own thoughts. While Clark tried to figure out what connection there could possibly be between the goddess and the prophecy, Zatanna mulled over the meaning of the prophecy itself, and Bart was, well, Bart was being Bart and was trying to figure out what kind of topping combination he wanted on his next pizza.

"I've got nothing," Clark said after a minute. "No clue as to what it was that Xanadu was talking about, and no idea on what to do or how to act around Lana now."

"We can't act all weird around her, that's for sure," Zatanna replied. "The last thing she needs is feeling more out of touch with the world than she already is. I mean, first the girl gets a freaky tattoo, then she dies, then she comes back to life and potentially discovers that she may be a goddess, or at least have god-like abilities. She doesn't need weirdness from us."

"No," Clark agreed. "No, she really doesn't. So, what do we do?"

Zatanna was silent for a moment, as she thought about it, and then said, "Here's what. I need you to stay with Lana. Hang out with her, or at least keep an eye on her from a distance. Whatever. Bart and I…we'll have to go to the mystic underground, see if we can find any leads there on this prophecy and see if anyone may have any information on this goddess whose essence we used to resurrect Lana."

"Sounds like a plan," Bart agreed, eager to be spending more time with Zatanna.

"Great," Zatanna said, as she took another slice of pizza off the pie in front of them. "Oh, and Clark? One more thing. You might want to come clean to Lana. About everything."

"What? No! Why?"

"Because, there can't be secrets between us right now," Zatanna replied. "We need to work as a team, and a time may come when you need to use your powers in front of Lana. If there's some evil rising, like the prophecy seems to suggest, then we can't have you and Lana getting all angsty in the middle of a crisis."

"Oh, come on Clark," Zatanna replied to her friend's mild outburst. "Lana's told me all about you two. It's very Dawson's Creek, except, you know, without the superpower-y goodness. In any case, Lana's got superpowers now too. I'm sure she understands the need for secrecy."

"Z'anna's got a point, Clark," Bart added. Clark shot Bart a withering glare, and Bart sunk down in his seat a bit.

"Clark, look, I don't want to cast a spell on you and force you to do my bidding. But the fact is, if you don't tell Lana, I'm going to have to force you to tell her the truth," Zatanna said sternly, leaving out the part about her already technically having enchanted him with her attracting people of power spell. A spell, she realized, she still hadn't lifted.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk to her tonight." Clark said, admitting defeat.

"Good. Now that that's decided, I say we get crackin'."

* * *

Genevieve Teague stretched on the couch of her hotel room, yawning just a little bit. It'd been a long couple of weeks for her, and though she knew it seemed unlikely, she wished that things would speed up instead of going at the sluggish pace that they were going at right now. Granted, being who she was, she had all the time in the world, but still. She felt that she'd waited long enough.

The elegant woman rose from her couch and walked over to the full-length mirror in her room. She stood in front of it, and smiled. All these years later, and she still looked stunning. Her hair was as lustrous as ever, and her skin looked flawless.

Yes, she'd had her beauty for years, but soon…soon she'd have so much more.

Things were coming together better than she thought they would have, even if they were happening at a slower pace than she wished. Granted, there had been a surprise or two along the way, but nothing that would have affected her plans for the worse. Instead, they made her plans all the more delicious to savor once they came into fruition.

And Jason…Jason had finally contacted her. He'd contacted her on his own free will. He was slowly coming back to her. Oh, but this was too beautiful, too sweet for words.

Only one word went through Genevieve's mind, slowly rising to a beckoning, almost haunting chant.

"Soon."


	21. Entwined in Secrets

Lana Lang sat quietly under a tree in the park, her copy of _Le Morte D'Arthur_ open in front of her. She wasn't reading it though. She was finding it difficult to concentrate on her English assignment, instead choosing to concentrate on a dragonfly close by. She ran a hand through her chocolate tresses, gently shaking them as the dragonfly flittered around doing what seemed to be absolutely nothing. The eighteen-year-old watched the dragonfly as if mesmerized by it, which she was partially. She could feel the dragonfly; she could feel its emotions and make out its wordless thoughts. She felt _connected_ to it. Granted, she felt connected now to a lot of the creepy crawlies that were around her, and though it should have disturbed the hell out of her, it didn't. Rather, Lana was amazed to find, she felt more serene, more sage-like than anything.

She didn't feel as conflicted as she did a few weeks ago. Granted, she was confused as to who or what she was now, but besides that, she felt a certain inner peace. She also felt extremely powerful, and she was sure that that had something to do with her sudden bout of inner peace.

She shook her head and looked down at her book again, trying to concentrate at the task at hand, but she was finding it highly impossible to do so. She frankly had no interest in reading about the Knights of the Round Table or anything else at the moment. What she wanted was to research her own condition, a task that seemed less and less likely to actually happen. Zatanna knew nothing that could actually help her, and Madame Xanadu seemed to love playing a convoluted version of Twenty Questions. There wasn't really anyone else that Lana could turn to for aid, she realized. She had toyed briefly with the idea of talking to the very small Gothic-Wicca type group at Smallville High that hung out in the abandoned green house at the school, but decided against it. The last thing she needed was another flaying or possession, and if Zatanna, who had magic running through her very being, could screw a spell up, what could a group of amateur Wiccans do?

Lana firmly shut her book and started to get up when she heard her name being said right behind her. The young woman turned around and saw Clark standing behind the bench on which she had just been sitting.

"Clark," Lana greeted, just a little uneasily. She noticed that he seemed very not himself. He seemed a little worried, and his shoulders drooped ever so slightly, almost as though he were carrying something burdensome inside him, and it was getting too heavy for him to lift on his own. "What's going on?"

"We need to talk," he said quietly, seriously.

"Well?" Clark asked, about an hour later.

Lana stared hard at him, her face a mixed expression of confusion, realization, understanding, and pain.

"Lana…please…say something. Anything," the teenaged Kryptonian pleaded. He was holding one of Lana's delicate hands in between his larger, manlier ones.

"What am I supposed to say, Clark?" Lana asked softly after a moment. "I…I don't even know how to react to this. Or even if I should react to this."

"Yours not reacting is still, technically, a reaction," Clark prodded.

"No Clark, don't. Please. No jokes, no ironic comments, nothing. It's not you…it doesn't suit you. Not that I even know who you technically is anymore."

"Lana…"

"I know…I'm sorry…I shouldn't be acting this way. I mean, for the past four years I've been trying to make you tell me your secret...and here it is. You aren't who I thought you were."

"You make it sound like I've lied to you, Lana."

"Haven't you?"

"But you've known all along that I have been."

Lana nodded her head, conceding. "Yeah…I have. But I didn't suspect the secret would be this big, Clark. This…this changes everything."

"It does, Lana…but not entirely."

"What do you mean?"

Clark gave Lana a look that explained everything to the brunette. Yes, she knew his secret now…but he knew her secret as well. She wasn't the little girl next door that she had been a few weeks ago. She was something more, as had been repeatedly hammered into her head by Madame Xanadu.

But what exactly was she?

"We'll figure it out," Clark said softly, as if he were reading her mind. He wasn't, she knew. He had made it clear that he was in no way telepathically inclined.

Lana nodded. "I know we will," she said, staring at him a long moment. She searched his eyes for something, a sign for what was to come in the future. She found herself finding something else instead.

Love.

Lana stepped back, feeling not just a little weird. There they were, Clark Kent and Lana Lang, standing face to face, completely open to each other. There were no secrets between them now, no need to hide or to play games or to beat around the bush. For the first time in their lives, they had been completely honest with each other.

Why stop now?

"Clark…" she said softly, stepping back up close to him. She gently lifted a hand and caressed his strong jaw with it, her ginger touch sending shivers down his spine. Goosebumps appeared on both teenagers' skins as sparks of electricity began to surge forth between both of them.

Clark brought a soft hand down under Lana's chin and lifted her face up to his, as he slowly leaned down towards her. His eyes were full of pure, untainted love, and they widened the slightest bit as he took in her scent of sugary vanilla and soft lavender.

Their lips met, softly at first, though the kiss soon grew urgent. Their mouths pressed against each other, hard and full of passion. The world around them melted away, as it tends to when two young lovers create a world in the midst of their own embrace.

And there they stood, in the middle of the park, entwined in each others arms, and forever bound by each other's secrets.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all! Yeah…so I didn't write in the big scene here where Clark actually tells Lana everything for a couple of reasons. First of all, no matter how I wrote that particular scene…it just wasn't working out for me. They weren't doing what I wanted them to do. I then realized that the "secret revealed" scene is done so much that I figured glossing over it might make a better idea. I realize some of you may hate me for leaving a crucial scene out like that, but…I'd rather leave it out than put out something I wasn't particularly proud of, you know? I also didn't want Lana to play the angry card, because I'm sure that deep down inside she's known something was REALLY off about Clark.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews guys, it really means a lot to me! Love the speculative stuff you guys are coming up with…its definitely interesting to see what you guys think is about to happen.

Oh, and one more thing….when this fic is done (it'll take awhile, but figured I'd ask this anyway?) I'm toying with the idea of maybe doing a few Zatanna spin-off fics. What do you guys think? Yay or nay?


	22. Jim Rook

"Hmm, okay, little breather here," Zatanna said, pulling away from Bart for a moment. She ran the back of her hand across her soft, wet lips for a moment and ran that same hand through her long, loose tresses. The young couple had been standing outside in the backyard of Zatanna's place, enjoying the beautiful day around them. Well, okay, that was a bit of a lie. They were more busy enjoying each other in the backyard than they were enjoying the day, though one could argue that it was each other that made the day beautiful.

"Heh, sorry," Bart said, smiling goofily at Zatanna. Zatanna placed her hands on Bart's chest and pushed herself away from him and the tree against which they had leaned while they made out.

"No, it's good," Zatanna said. "Really good," she added, smiling coyly. "But, as good as it is, we have work to do, Mr. Man."

"Right," Bart said as he pushed himself away from the tree. He brushed bits of bark and moss off of the back of his red and yellow tee-shirt and then again off from the back of his head. "We have to visit the mystical underground," he said, putting on a semi-silly creeped-out Halloween voice.

"You know, it's not really a physical underground or anything," Zatanna replied as she faced a tiny bistro table that was out on the patio. It was a beautiful, dark green wrought iron thing, with matching chairs. It was very quaint, very French. Not at all like Zatanna's slightly funkier style, but she loved the set anyway. It fit perfectly here in her backyard. "Anyway, what are you in the mood for?"

"Well," Bart answered flirtatiously, sneaking up behind Zatanna. "Now that you've asked…"

"Pots rof a tnemom," Zatanna commanded just as Bart was about to wrap his arms around the sorceress' waist. "You know I meant food wise."

"Yeah, yeah, spoil all the fun why doncha," Bart replied in mock-sadness. "I don't know. Anything you could possibly whip up?"

"So I'm guessing monkey brains, camel tongue, and eye of eel egg drop soup would be perfection?"

"I get your point," Bart replied, grimacing. "I dunno…three meat ravioli?"

"Done," Zatanna said, saying the name of Bart's chosen meal backwards. She whipped up a Mexican Caesar salad for herself, and Cokes for both of them.

"Aaah, the perks of having a witch for a girlfriend," Bart said as he took a seat.

"Hold it, spanky," Zatanna said. "Witch? Girlfriend? Where are we getting these terms from?"

"Oh, yeah, well…" Bart said, struggling for an answer. He was cut off, though, by the phone ringing inside.

"Hold that thought," Zatanna replied. "Might be my source." She lightly jogged into her house while Bart sat down and picked up a fork.

Zatanna came back out a moment later, a bright smile displayed across her face.

"Was that your source?" Bart asked as he stuffed a second forkful of the ravioli in his mouth. Magic food was good, he thought to himself.

Zatanna nodded as she sat down across from him. "It was. And the good news is? We probably won't need to go straight down into the actual underground, mainly because there's some gang war going on."

"So, where are we headed then?" Bart asked.

"We have a three-thirty appointment at Oblivion Books in New York with Jim Rook."

"Jim Rook?" Bart asked, immediately looking away from his ravioli. "As in the former lead singer of The Electrics Jim Rook?"

Zatanna slowly nodded her head. "The one and only, Bart…why?"

"Dude, that guy is a living legend!" Bart said, shooting up. "The Electrics were, like, _the band_ back in the day! How the hell do you know him?!"

"Down fanboy," Zatanna said, smiling at Bart's giddiness. "He was a friend of my father's," she replied. "Owed Daddy a couple of favors, and I guess at the moment they trickle down to his only daughter."

"So," Bart asked eagerly. "When do we go?"

* * *

A couple of hours later found Bart and Zatanna sitting in the back room of Oblivion Books with Jim Rook. The trio was settled in a set of plush couches, drinking some of the tea that Jim had prepared for them. He had invited them warmly when they'd arrived, even signing some old records for Bart.

Jim Rook was a handsome man in his forties. He was polished, clean cut, and looked nothing like a former rocker in his jeans, brown loafers, white shirt, and tweed jacket. His graying hair was freshly cut and he gave off a knowledgable air.

"So, what sort of information did you guys want, exactly?" Jim asked after they'd gotten through all the niceties. He stared between Zatanna and Bart expectantly, waiting for one of the two super-powered teenagers to speak up. "I understand it's about some sort of odd mystical power?"

"It's actually hard to say what exactly it is," Zatanna explained. She briefly delved into the tattoo, Lana's death, her revival, and the information about Khepri's consort. "We don't know what's happened exactly now. Lana's been showing some odd powers as well as a definite connection to insects. She's able to bring dead insects back to life, and she can communicate with them as well. Do you have any books that can help us?" She asked.

Jim Rook was silent for a moment. He hadn't ever heard of this particular myth, but if there was anyone who had, Jim knew exactly who it was. He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the side table next to him and jotted out an address. "Zatanna, take this," he said, offering her the paper.

"What is this?" she asked, taking it and looking at the address. The address indicated a place in Salem, Massachusetts. "You're sending me to Witch City?" she asked sarcastically.

Rook smiled and shook his head. "Nothing of the sort. You know as well as I do that witch hunters died out centuries ago."

"I'm sticking to my story here."

"There's someone there who knows more about Egyptian history than I do, Zatanna. With a myth as unknown as that, he's possibly the only one who can help you."

Zatanna nodded her head. "Who is this person?"

"Kent Nelson."

"The archaeologist?"

"The one and only."

"I think Daddy must have spoken about him once or twice."

"I'm sure he did. You'll find out why soon enough, Zatanna. You'll be able to catch him tomorrow, I think. He's out of town on…business."

"Do we call or make an appointment or something?" Bart asked, his voice showing that he was still in awe over this once-great rocker.

"He'll be expecting you," Rook replied.

"Great," Zatanna replied, standing up. She set her cup of tea down on the coffee table. "Thank you, Uncle Jim." She moved to hug him and he returned her hug warmly.

As he did so, though, he quietly whispered in Zatanna's ear, "Listen, Zatanna…you're the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter. Do me a favor and don't get too involved with this."

"What?" she asked quietly. "Why? What do you know?"

"Nothing. But it sounds bad."

Zatanna broke loose and cocked her head, staring into Rook's eyes. "I won't use the truth spell on you, I respect you too much. But, seriously, what do you know?"

Rook shook his head. "Nothing, Zatanna. I swear on my legacy."

Zatanna nodded silently. "Alright. But I can't. I'm as in this as my friends are, and they need me. I'm sorry Uncle Jim."

He smiled warmly down at the teenager, and patted her gently on the shoulder. "Don't be. You have much of your father in you, Zatanna. Take care."

Zatanna nodded and smiled warmly. "I will Uncle Jim…thank you." Zatanna turned to Bart then and said, "Come on, lover. We need to get going now…meet up with Clark and see what he has to say."

Bart nodded and followed Zatanna out to the back of the bookstore. As she jumped into his arms, he asked, "What legacy was he talking about?"

"I'll explain it on the way," she said, laughing.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys…long time no update, huh? I'm really sorry for that. While I've got the whole story in my head, I haven't had time to sit down and write because the past few weeks have been hectic with work and some other bits that make up the more insane parts of our lives. But, I'm back. :-D Thanks to Nightcrawler8 and Markmark261 and the others of you that e-mailed me in my absence. :-D

For those of you who might be wondering, Jim Rook is a minor character in the DCU known as the Nightmaster. He was the lead singer of the Electrics who then opened a bookstore when he found out his legacy to bear the Sword of Night and defend the alternate dimension of Myrra.


	23. Breaking Up

Lana Lang had never been happier.

Chloe Sullivan could see that clearly as Lana practically buzzed around the Talon that evening, taking orders, and even handing out a few freebies.

"Wow, so, you seem really happy," Chloe said, venturing a smile when Lana finally took her break. Lana slid onto a stool next to Chloe, and flashed her friend a quick smile.

"Yeah," Lana replied, "it's been a good week," she said, nodding her head with that little way she had. She ran a hand through her long, tousled locks and cocked her head. "Things are finally picking up."

"Really?" Chloe asked, suddenly interested. She leaned in closer to her friend. "Do share," she asked, prodding Lana lightly.

Lana shrugged. "You know…things between me and Clark are finally picking up, and -"

"Wait, hold it," Chloe said, holding up a hand. She shot Lana a confused look, wondering what her friend was talking about. "You mean Jason, right? Not Clark, but Jason."

Lana's expression of happiness slowly melted into one of shock as Chloe's words sunk in. "Jason…" she whispered, stunned.

"You forgot all about him didn't you?" Chloe asked in wonderment. "Ah, the super-stud that is Clark Kent." She paused for a moment, and let Lana's shock seep in. Chloe, on her part, was a little surprised but not horribly so. Heck, if she'd been with someone – anyone - and things suddenly perked up with Clark, Chloe knew for a fact that she'd go running to Clark. Who wouldn't?

Lana stood up and turned to look at one of the girls behind the counters. "Nora, can you cover me?" she asked the girl behind the counter. The cute young barista nodded her head. "Thanks," Lana said, smiling appreciatively. She turned to Chloe. "I'm going to have to go talk to Jason."

"What are you going to say to him? Are you ending it?"

Lana shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know."

* * *

Jason sat quietly on an armchair, flipping through a text book, waiting for Lana to come back. He felt incredibly guilty, had been feeling incredibly guilty, over the past couple of days. He realized that he shouldn't have contacted his mother when he started noticing weird things with Lana. His mother had assured him that there was nothing to worry about, and that Lana had probably been telling him the truth. Her voice, though, he noticed, had a certain edge to it. She was still hiding something from him, but what?

In a rush, his conversations with his mother before his trip to Paris came back to him. He hadn't been in the world's best place then. He'd recently broken up with his long-time girlfriend, an archaeology student who'd left him to go to Greece for a couple of semesters, and had somewhat delved into depression for awhile. Out of nearly nowhere, Genevieve Teague had suggested that he go to Paris. It'd be good for him, she prodded. He might meet someone special.

Wait. Did she say that he might…or that he would?

Jason slammed the text book shut and sat up, running a hand through his short, clean blonde hair. He should have realized that his mother was up to her manipulative games again.

But there was more than that, wasn't there? Genevieve wasn't just playing a game. There was something much higher at stake. There had to be. Genevieve had never prodded Jason to go anywhere before, never prodded him to find someone special. She wasn't that kind, in spite of the view that society got of her.

She was behind this somehow. Him and Lana, meeting, it can't have been an accident. Not with everything that was happening to Lana at that moment. If that was the case, then he would have to talk to Lana.

No, worse.

Jason would have to leave Lana.

* * *

Lana stood outside her apartment, a little apprehensive. She didn't know what she was going to say to Jason, or even how she was going to say it. He'd been so good to her. Amazing, in fact. Better than he had to be. Jason had even gone to the extent of following Lana all the way from France to tiny little Smallville just so that he could be with her. No guy had done that for her.

But now, there was Clark, again. Clark, who had completely opened himself up to Lana. He'd spilled all his secrets, and Lana knew that it had to have been hard for him. The only other people that knew were Zatanna, Pete Ross, and Bart, and each one for their own reasons. She understood why Clark hadn't told her earlier – she was sure that she would have freaked – but at the same time, she kind of hated having the information now. It made it so much easier to go back to him, but at the same time, she had Jason in her life right now.

Who was the right guy to choose?

Lana trusted her instincts to do the talking for her and braced herself before throwing open the door to her apartment. After all, her instincts were the core of her being – her id, as it were – and would tell her who she really wanted.

She stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind her, setting her bag and keys down on the end table next to the door. Slowly, unsurely, Lana walked into the living room, bracing herself, only to find Jason standing there with a duffel bag and a suitcase on either side of him.

"What's going on?" Lana asked, somewhat confused.

"I'm leaving," Jason explained, picking up his bags.

"What? Why? Jason, what's going on?" Lana asked again, striding up to him. She stopped just a foot away from him and looked Jason straight in his eyes. "Tell me."

Jason matched Lana's even gaze for a moment, faltered, and then looked away. "I think we're moving too fast," he told her. "I think we're moving too fast and I don't think that you're ready for that sort of relationship, and so I'm leaving. To give us a break." He moved past Lana, but Lana moved out in front of him again, trying to block him with her slim figure.

"Don't," she told him, her voice carrying a sense of urgency to it. "Please, Jason…can we talk about this? At least for a few minutes?"

Jason shook his head, glum yet firm. "I'm sorry Lana. I love you. But I'm sorry." He gently pushed past her and then opened the door, and walked out of Lana's apartment, and possibly even Lana's life.

Lana collapsed on the couch behind her, her eyes brimming with tears. So that was it, then, she supposed. Her decision was made for her. She could continue her relationship with Clark.

So then why did she feel so empty inside?

After a few moments of quiet sobbing, Lana rose once again, this time to wash her face and go back down to the Talon. She was interrupted, though, by a knock at her door.

Her heart soared, and Lana hoped that it was Jason at the door as she rushed over to the door to open it.

Lana threw the door open to find both Zatanna and Bart standing there, identical puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Lana, are you alright?" Zatanna asked, concerned at seeing Lana's tear-streaked face. The young woman gently nodded.

"I'm fine. What brings you guys here?"

"We need you to come to Salem with us," Zatanna explained. "We might not have a lot of time, but we'll more than likely get the answers that we're searching for. Can you pack a bag in under two minutes?"

"Yeah," Lana nodded. "How long will we be gone for?"

"A day or two. Why?"

"I need someone to watch over the Talon. Mrs. Kent or someone."

"Here, I can take the keys to her," Bart offered. "Be back in under a minute."

"Alright," Lana said, tossing him the keys. "Go."

Bart nodded and zipped off in a flash of red and yellow while Lana ran to pack up a few necessities. By the time Bart was back, Lana and Zatanna were loading things into Zatanna's car. Bart slid into the back seat as they buckled their seatbelts.

"Ready, guys?" Zatanna asked. Bart and Lana nodded. "Great. Looks like we're off to see the wizard then," the sorceress said, shifting the car into high gear.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys. So, yeah…As most of you know, they're off to see Dr. Fate now. Could be interesting. -D. Like the idea of Marc Singer as Jim Rook, by the way. I can totally see that working. I might bring him back later as well. Ah, also, you'll be seeing another familiar face soon, which will turn into a catalyst for the one thing that all of this is leading up to. Personally, I'm excited about this is going, as I suppose I should be since I am writing it. Hope you guys stay with me for it, though, as I'm sure that I'm likely to tick a few of you off…

Keep on r-and-r-ing guys, I'm heinously appreciating it, and I should have another update by the end of the week, hopefully!


	24. She's Out

Clark Kent flopped down on the couch in his barn, just the slightest bit exhausted. He'd been heading home from the park, happy about where he and Lana had suddenly started going, when he'd been sidetracked by another Krypto-freak. It was nothing major, but he was beginning to think that Smallville definitely needed to be bottled up and kept separately from the rest of the world. Too much weirdness in this little town.

He stood up again to go downstairs and take care of a few chores when he heard a creak coming from somewhere in the barn. He rushed down towards the area from which the noise had come, coming to a sudden full stop in front of Alicia Baker.

"Alicia," Clark said, taking up a sudden defensive stance. "You're out."

Alicia smiled earnestly, her large, eloquent eyes searching Clark's own. "Yeah," she replied. "I am. But you don't need to worry, Clark. I didn't escape from Belle Reve or anything. They let me go now. I'm cured."

"Cured," Clark stated blankly. "Your powers are gone?"

Alicia shook her head, her eyes still locked onto Clark's. "No, not exactly. They gave me this," she said, raising her arm. She pulled the sleeve of her sweater down to reveal a lead bracelet on her right wrist. "It releases trace amounts of lead into my blood stream, pretty much keeps my powers at bay."

"Will it completely destroy your powers?"

Alicia shrugged. "I guess we'll find out in a year, at the soonest."

Clark nodded, unsure of what to say.

"I really am cured, Clark," Alicia said again. She reached over and took one of his hands between both of hers. "I'm not here to terrorize you; I'm not here to murder Lana. I'm here to apologize."

"Apologize."

"I'm sorry Clark. For last year. I didn't mean to get all Glenn Close on you. It was never my intention. I was…fractured."

"So what are you going to do now?"

Alicia let the Kryptonian's hand out of her hands and shrugged. "I don't know. Move away, maybe. Go somewhere where nobody knows me, where no one sees me as some sort of Krypto-freak. Somewhere where people will look at me and just think of me as a normal, blonde haired teenager who's maybe a little cute, a little perky, who would make a good friend. Or a good girlfriend. Somewhere where I can have a _life_."

"I hear that Gateway City's nice," Clark offered. He didn't know what else to say. Here was a girl who he could have had something really special with, a girl who could so easily have been "The One". She was bright, smart, beautiful, and she had powers. She had powers and she understood what it was like to be so rampantly different from everyone else around her. Here was a girl who had accepted him for who he was, no questions asked, no doubts raised. She would have been the perfect girlfriend if she hadn't been such a thundering psycho-loony the first time around.

"Gateway City," she said, almost off-handedly. "Yeah, either there or Coast City. Sun, beaches, warm weather throughout. Could be fun." Alicia paused, looked away, hesitated, and then made eye contact with Clark again. "Could be lonely."

"Alicia…" Clark replied, stepping back a step or two. He knew where this was leading, but he also knew that it was impossible. Smallville was his home. There was no way he could just uproot himself and move away with Alicia.

He paused in mid-thought, shocked. He realized that, just a moment ago, he had considered moving away with Alicia. That was all sorts of wrong.

After all, he was with Lana, now, right?

She nodded, understanding all to well what Clark was about to say. "I get it, I do. You can't come with me."

"Alicia, if things would have played out differently…"

"You don't need to explain yourself, Clark. But, can we at least, I don't know…go out? One last night on the town?"

"Sure, yeah, we can definitely do that," he added. "The ice-skating rink's open tonight."

"Great…I'll see you there at seven?"

"Yeah. Sure. That works."

"Great," Alicia replied. "I'll see you then." The young blonde stood on her toes to kiss Clark on the cheek and then turned around and walked out of the barn.

Clark watched her leave, and then turned as he picked up a pitchfork, ready to do his chores when he noticed an extremely fast yellow and red blur go speeding past the barn. Clark immediately dropped his pitchfork and rushed after the blur. He arrived a couple of seconds later in his kitchen, to see Bart Allen talking to his mother.

"Bart, hey, what's up?" Clark asked casually, giving his friend a quizzical look.

"Oh, Bart was just asking me to watch over the Talon for a few days," Martha Kent replied, giving her son a sweet smile. "It seems that Lana has to go out of town for some business, and she needed someone to watch over the Talon. She sent Bart."

Clark nodded, "I see."

"Oh, Bart, can I offer you anything? Coffee, juice? A soda maybe?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Kent. I'm good. I'd like to speak to Clark a moment, though."

Martha nodded and grabbed her purse, saying, "That's okay. I should get over to the Talon anyway. Has Lana already left?"

"She will in a couple of minutes," Bart replied, watching Martha walk out the door. He then turned to Clark. "Problem," he stated simply.

"What's going on?"

"Z'anna, Lana, and I are heading over to Salem for a few days. There's someone there who can help Lana. Here's the address," Bart said as he quickly scribbled down the address that he had memorized from Zatanna's slip of paper. "We'll take a couple of days to get there, I think, and then spend a couple of days there. Zatanna wants to take her car and actually use it, though I don't know why. I mean, she has me, the fastest man alive. Anyway, can you meet us there?"

"I'm going to need more information, Bart…" Clark replied after listening to Bart's insanely quick jabbering.

"I don't know much more, Clark. Just…meet us there, alright?"

Clark nodded slowly. "When, exactly?"

"Dude, I have no clue. I'm not even sure what's going through Z'anna's head. Maybe two days?"

"Got it."

"Great. See ya then," Bart replied, nodding. And with that, he zipped off again, in a lightening blur of red and yellow.

Clark quietly rolled up the address and stuffed it in the back pocket of his jeans. He realized that he'd better get some work done before his date tonight, and then start prep time for his sudden trip to Salem.

This was going to be one hell of a week. He could just feel it in his bones.

* * *

John Constantine sucked in his breath as he put out his third cigarette of that hour. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair and rubbed his baby blue eyes.

John was tired, moody, and not just the slightest bit upset. The twenty-three year old felt like screaming, he did, especially with the letter that sat in front of him.

A bloody 'Dear John' letter. Hi-freaking-larious. Part of him wanted to take his head and bang it down on the bar counter in front of him, keep on banging until he lost all consciousness. Another part of him wanted to go out and kick some demon ass from here to hell and back. Well, okay, maybe not back again. Any demon sent there should stay there, as far as he's concerned.

John took another gulp of the scotch in front of him and picked up the letter that his precious Zatanna had written him weeks ago, and that he had just received today due to the fact that he'd been out of town on business for awhile. He glanced over it again, reading Zatanna's apology to him, telling him that she had found someone else, his mood growing ever the more bitter over Zatanna's kinder words of apology.

Deep down inside, he knew Zatanna wasn't out to hurt him, but God damn it, why did she have to go on ahead and dump him now? She'd been the one bright spot in his life lately.

John ripped the letter to shreds and let them sit on the counter, ignoring the harsh look of the bartender. He then grabbed his leather duster and started to walk out of the bar, ready to go catch the next flight or train to Smallville, so he could get his girl back.

He looked at his watch and noted that it was two-twenty-four am. He wondered if any transport to Smallville would be available at this time.

As he walked out into the night and headed towards his car, he heard the familiar sound of a portal opening not far away, followed by the unmistakable sound of a woman in horror.

Wasn't that typical?

Smallville would have to wait, he realized, as he hightailed it towards the sound of the scream.

* * *

Writer's Note: So, I have no idea yet on why Zatanna's insisting on driving them to Salem when Bart could very well make a quick two second trip between Salem and Smallville and take both Lana and Zatanna there. Or maybe I do have an idea as to why…hmmm…. Hehehehe. Yes, Clark will definitely appear in Salem. He has to. His appearance there will be a catalyst for some interesting things…And yeah, Mark, the wizard quote? It was actually a nod to your story, lol. Seemed like a good idea and all. Anyway, I really hope you guys like where this is headed! Keep on reading and reviewing, yeah? Your people's input seriously means the world to me! 


	25. On the Road and On the Rink

"You know, most normal people would run from Kansas to Massachusetts," Bart Allen complained from the back seat of Zatanna's Mini Cooper.

"Please," Zatanna replied. "Most normal people don't have super-powers."

"Hey hey, normality lies in the eyes of the beholder," Bart shot back as he shoved a few Pringles in his mouth, munching on them with zeal.

Lana rolled her eyes as she reached back and took the can of Pringles out of Bart's hand. "How long have you had your powers, Bart?"

Bart shrugged. "Not too long, really. A while. But I learned how to use them pretty fast. Wasn't too hard, I mean. You get struck by lightening, the next day you're at P.E. and your body suddenly shifts into overdrive, it kinda strikes you that, hey, you've got powers. Cool."

"It was that easy for you? You just…took it and accepted it?"

"How could I not? I mean, I wasn't gonna wait for lightening to strike twice, you know? Who knows what would've happened then."

"He makes a good point," Zatanna said. "If Bart had hit by lightening, anything could have happened to him. He might have lost his powers. He might have died. He might have been fast enough to time travel, even. All we can say for sure is that – given the fact that Bart survived – it was in his destiny to inherit his powers."

"I'm really starting to hate that word," Lana pointed out. "Everywhere I go, someone's spoken about destiny. If this Kent Nelson guy says anything about destiny, I swear I'm going to -"

"Bring a bug back to life?" Zatanna joked.

"Funny," Lana replied, a smirk crossing her beautiful features. "Really funny. But you guys know what I mean."

"Yeah, we do," Bart replied, reaching out and plucking the can of Pringles from Lana's hand.

"So," Lana said, changing the subject. "Clark said he was going to meet us there, right?"

"Yeah," Bart replied. "He'll meet us there tomorrow, I think."

Lana nodded. "And we should be there by then?"

"Yep," Zatanna nodded. We're all intangible to everything except our own belongings, so we can pretty much go really, really fast, and it's no big problem."

"How long did it take you to come up with the idea for that?" Lana asked.

"Not too long. I have to refresh it every fifteen minutes, though. It seems to be getting stronger, so maybe that's a good thing."

"For us and your abilities."

"Pretty much."

Silence prevailed in the car for a few moments until Bart, who could never really be quiet for more than that, suddenly piped up again. "So, seriously Zee, why are we taking the car?"

Zatanna was quiet for a moment, considering Bart's question, when she realized that she didn't really know why they were using her car. It was an impulsive thing, maybe? Or maybe she just wanted some feeling of normalcy. Cars were normal right? That's what she'd tried to point out to Bart just a few minutes earlier.

The sorceress smirked to herself and let out a sigh. Why was she lying to herself? She knew why she was taking the car in the first place. Why even deny it?

Zatanna was scared. That was the truth of it. She wasn't sure she wanted to face whatever it was that they would learn once they got to Salem. Enough had happened in the past couple of months to make Zatanna realize that she was really unsure as to how much she really wanted to learn about what was going on with Lana. Granted, she was in it because Lana was her friend, and she wanted to be there for her, but beyond that…did she really want to know what it was exactly that was going on with Lana?

Yeah, yeah she did. In spite of her fears, in spite of the fact that Lana could very well turn out to be a hell-goddess remade (and Zatanna desperately prayed that this wasn't the case), Zatanna wanted to be involved with whatever was going on.

After all, if Lana did turn out to be some huge force of evil, who else was more powerful enough to stop her than Zatanna?

"So many others," she whispered to herself dejectedly.

"What?" Lana asked. "So many others what?"

"Oh, nothing," Zatanna replied. "Just, I think I need a cherry Zesti cola or something."

"Check it out," Bart said, pointing to a sign for _Burrito Ole_ just off the freeway. "Supposedly Mexican fast food. What say we make a pit stop?"

"That works," Zatanna said, taking the exit, glad to delay their inevitable trip by even a few minutes.

"So, I'm glad you agreed to this," Alicia Baker said to Clark as the two teenagers sat down on a bench beside the ice rink later that day. The young couple had spent the last hour ice-skating, Clark doing so very uncomfortably. Alicia had helped him, of course, holding his hands as they skated around.

Clark couldn't deny that there was definite sparkage between him and Alicia, a lot more sparkage, in fact, than there was between him and Lana. He could feel it, and it wasn't only his super powers talking. There was something real there, some huge. But it was something that he would have to deny himself.

It'd be wrong to pursue this.

"I am too," Clark replied truthfully, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind and just enjoying the now. "This is…well…"

"Pleasant?" Alicia shyly suggested.

"That would be an understatement."

"Oh," Alicia said, smiling sweetly. She looked into her cup of hot chocolate for a second and then looked back up at Clark. Clark noticed that Alicia's hot chocolate was no longer hot and so, after a few furtive glances around him, shot two beams of his heat vision into her cup until it was piping hot again. "Thank you."

Clark gave his head a slight nod. "Not a problem. So…this would have been us, then, huh?"

"What could have been," Alicia agreed. She was silent for a moment as she stared into his blue-green eyes, trying to search his soul, trying to find some spark of something to give her hope that, maybe one day down the line, Clark would take her to be his.

What made it painful was that she found that spark, and instinctively knew that no matter how whole-heartedly she loved him, she and he were never meant to be. There would always be one obstacle or another that would work its way into separating them.

Alicia smiled wistfully as she whispered, "Let's go for a drive, Clark."

"A drive?"

Alicia nodded. "Anywhere. Somewhere. Let's go to California, or Las Vegas. Just you and me."

Clark breathed out heavily as he set his cup of cocoa on the table in front of him and Alicia. He opened his mouth to speak when Alicia interrupted him. "Don't, it's okay, I know. Same thing you said yesterday. Or whatever you tried to say anyway." Alicia paused for a moment, opened her mouth to say something and then reconsidered. Instead she opted for, "Umm…I think I should go home, now."

"Let me come with you," Clark said standing up. He helped Alicia up and took his and her ice skates to the front while she waited for him. He returned moments later with the deposit for the skates in his hands. "Let's go," he said, giving her his arm.

Clark and Alicia walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the cool, crisp breeze. They made small talk, just sharing small nothings of no consequence, but enjoying each other's company immensely.

When they took a turn that Clark was unfamiliar with, Clark turned to Alicia and asked her where they were going.

"A motel," she said. "When I got out, I went home, and Mom kind of refused to take me back in."

"What do you mean?"

"After the whole thing with Dad last year…I mean, you know how it is." Alicia said softly, avoiding Clark's gaze.

"Yeah, but you're not that girl anymore, Alicia. You had…issues…then. But they're gone. You're past all of that."

Alicia opened her mouth but then hesitated. She shot Clark a guilty look, and Clark caught on to it, immediately. "What is it, Alicia?"

She stopped in the middle of the road and turned to Clark, her eyes full of worry and guilt. "I don't know if I've honestly changed all that much," she said timidly.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, placing his hands on Alicia's shoulders. Alicia flinched for a moment, uncertain about what to say or do next. She made up her mind in a moment, and reached into her pocket, producing something she'd gone to retrieve earlier that day.

"I…I made this for you," she said, holding up a silver necklace set with three small, red stones.

Clark's look softened. "Alicia…you didn't have to…"

Alicia breathed in and said, "Forget I _didn't_ have to, Clark. I _shouldn't_ have." Clark gave her a questioning look, to which Alicia replied, "it's red meteor rock."

"What!"

"I was going to put it on you, Clark. I was going to put it on you, so that you'd take risks, so that we could be together. But I'm not going to. I…I can't."

"How did you know about the red meteor rocks?"

"How could I not? I heard stories about how, when last time they were given out, people ended up doing the wacky. I figured that if I could get it on to you, then you'd…I don't know…fall for me? Accept me in your life? Run away with me? Marry me? I don't know what I was thinking then," she said, on the verge of tears. "But I can't give it to you. It'd be wrong on so many levels, and I know the outcome at the end wouldn't be good. But you need to know what I'm capable of."

Clark silently took the necklace from Alicia's fingers and smashed it in his hands. The stones crumpled into dust as though they were cookies being crumbled.

"I'm sorry, Clark."

"It's alright," Clark told her after a moment. He resumed walking and Alicia followed his lead, coming up next to him. "You told me in the end, right? You told me what you were planning to do, and you didn't go through with it. So, it's alright. No apologies."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely," the Kryptonian flashed the girl a smile. It was then that he realized that, yeah, he'd always have special feelings for Lana. There would always be a soft corner for her in his heart. But he didn't love Lana the way he loved Alicia. Even now, with Lana knowing his secret and everything.

There couldn't be a worse time for this revelation.

Alicia nodded and wiped her tears away.

They reached her motel soon and Clark brought her to her room. "Are you sure you wanna stay here?" Clark asked, searching her eyes.

"Why not? It's not forever."

"Stay at my place."

"Right, because your parents will love having me around after last time." Alicia replied, opening the door. "I can't impose on you guys like that, Clark."

"Are you going to be okay staying her by yourself?"

"I'm a big girl, Clark. I can handle it. Besides, this is Smallville. What's the worst that could happen here?"

Clark pursed his lips and cocked his head, giving her a look that made Alicia her understand what he meant. "Right. Smallville. Meteor freaks here are as common as mental patients in Gotham City." Alicia said, letting out a tiny giggle. "And here I am, without my teleportation powers," she winked playfully at Clark. "Guess I'll have to make with the damseling tonight. Tell me, how do you like in shining armor?"

"Is that in invite in?" Clark asked, eyebrows raised and grinning wickedly.

"You tell me," she asked, looking him up and down for a moment. "Boy of, ahem, steel."

Clark blushed wildly. "Nothing's going to happen. We're just gonna sit and talk. I can't stay the whole night anyway. I have somewhere to be in the morning."

"Oh? And where might that be?"

"Salem, Massachusetts."

"And how do you plan on getting there?"

"Running."

"I have a faster way…" Alicia held up her wrist. "I'm not insane anymore." She said to Clark's look of chagrin.

Clark sighed. She hadn't shown any signs of insanity so far. And Alicia had come clean about her plans. Would it be so wrong to take off her bracelet? For all he knew, it could be killing her. "We'll see, Alicia. We'd better get inside, before anyone out of the ordinary decides to pop up. And hey, nothing naughty, okay?"

"Naughty? Me," Alicia asked coyly, stepping in to the room. She turned around and smiled suggestively. "Well? Are you coming?" She asked, stepping into the room.

Clark hesitated a moment before following Alicia into her room.

Writer's Note: Hey all! So, wow…this ran a little longer than my usual fare. Yeah, I realize I'm gonna piss you people off with this whole Clark/Alicia thing, but trust me, there's a reason for it. Oh, and Mark, I found this website with transcripts for all the Smallville episodes, so if you feel you're missing something, this may help? http:svs.esp.st/ You didn't miss much though. I basically paraphrased the whole conversation. -D Anyway guys, keep on r-and-ring, yeah? Elf Queen, hope this was fast enough for ya. -D Until my next post, people! Happy Valentine's Day!


	26. Point of Destination

A flash of light.

The scent of something – many things – burning.

A screechy – yet somewhat musical - wail assaulted her ears.

The image of a sorceress laughing melding together with the evil stepmother from Snow White.

Dark, fiery red eyes.

A large magickal blast, followed by an anguished voice screaming out the word "No!"

Swords clashing and magickal sparks flying.

A woman in Chinese garb twirling in the air.

A familiar face accompanied by a thick British accent.

Barriers between worlds breaking down.

Flashes of light, fissures in the cracked ground letting out steam, a woman surrounded by a swarm of locusts, a cacophony of cackling and crackling, the image of a demon baring it's teeth right in her face, it's fetid mouth hanging open, getting closer and closer, until her head is almost completely in –

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Zatanna screamed, shooting up in her seat.

Lana swerved the car and hit the breaks, shocked and just a little scared. "What happened?" she asked as a car behind them just narrowly missed hitting them.

"Keep driving," Bart told Lana, his brow creased with worry. He then turned to the back seat, where Zatanna had been resting for the past hour. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Zatanna replied, popping open a can of Black Cherry Zesti. She took a gulp of the semi-cold soda and sighed. "Just a really bad dream. Like, Halle Berry's last wannabe superhero flick bad."

"Ouch…" Bart ventured. "That's…wow…that's _really_ ugly."

Lana stifled a giggle. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree there. I'm sorry, though. Wanna talk about it?"

Zatanna shook her head. "Not really. Or, you know, at all. Just…too freaky for words." The raven-haired teenager slid back in her seat, taking another gulp of the soda. She crinkled her nose at its warmth and whispered, "Dloc." The soda instantly became perfectly cold. She took another sip and relaxed.

Zatanna didn't like the portents of the dream one bit. First of all, she didn't even like the fact that she'd had the dream. It was too cliché for one thing. And secondly, it was too apocalyptical. Zatanna didn't deal well with apocalypses. She'd already been through one before, and granted though she'd only been a side character in that one, she didn't wanna go through another one. Especially not in one of the lead roles.

The dream had been too much to take in. Way too many things going on at one time there. Zatanna prayed, though, that Hell wasn't rearing its ugly head at them. She wasn't sure if she'd be powerful enough to stop the über-badness from hitting them hard. For all Zatanna knew, this could be her worst fears realized.

Is this why Jim Rook had asked Zatanna to turn back? Did he know that something bad was happening soon? If he knew, who else did? Madame Xanadu had to. Fat load of help that would be, but still.

Who else?

In that instant, Zatanna desperately prayed for her father's guidance. He would have been good at averting possible apocalypses and things.

"Hey," Bart interrupted his girlfriend's thought process, "Do me a favor. Could you pass me a thing of Chocos?" he asked. "I'm sorta hungry."

Zatanna nodded and tossed him the pack of cookies.

Bart grinned his thanks at Zatanna as he ripped open the packet, devouring two within moments.

"Hey guys, good news," Lana said, as she plucked a Choco cookie out of Bart's lap. She pointed to a sign on their right hand side and said, "Salem, only seven miles away."

"I thought this trip would never end!" Bart exclaimed. "Finally!"

"Great," Zatanna replied, sitting back in her seat, her eyes growing wide with worry. She had this horrible feeling in her stomach that something would be horribly wrong at their point of destination.

She desperately prayed she was wrong.

* * *

Jason Teague quietly unpacked his belongings in his new apartment, close to the university where he attended his classes. He bit off a slice of cold ham and bacon pizza and took a gulp of his Soder cola, relishing in the fact that it wasn't as sweet as its rival soft drink was. He set the can down on an opened box next to the slice of pizza and made to open a box that contained some family albums and other various knick-knacks. Jason cut the box open with a box cutter and – not at all enjoying the silence in the apartment – walked over to his boom box and flipped it on, letting Green Day's latest hit into his new digs. 

Jason walked back to the box that he had just opened and started taking things out of it. He pulled out a couple of family photo albums, setting them aside, followed by his high school and junior high school yearbooks. He carried these over to a nook in the wall next to the fireplace that would serve as a bookshelf and set them up there.

As he walked back to the box, his mind idled over whether or not he had done the right thing by leaving Lana. He stopped himself before his thoughts went further and reached into the box again, but was halted by a knock at the door.

No one knew where he had moved to, Jason realized, as he walked over to the door. Only the pizza place. So…who could this be?

"Who is it?" Jason asked, wishing for a moment that the door had an eyehole.

"Me," came a familiar female voice.

Jason's calm mood was instantly disrupted as he threw open the door and said, "Mother," rather rudely.

Genevieve Teague shot her son what would have been an award winning smile if she had been a soap opera star instead of a sparkling socialite. "Jason," she greeted. She stood there a moment, the scent of her ridiculously expensive Italian perfume invading Jason's apartment. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"You know, this is where I would say yes, accompanied by a sarcastic comment to show that I was actually saying no, but I'm not in the mood for that, so let me be simple with you. No, not really. Not at all, in fact. God, how do you even know I moved over here? No one knows yet!" Jason exclaimed. "No, never mind. I don't want to know. I'd have to invite you inside to get my answers. Have a nice day," Jason made to close the door.

"Really, Jason, where _are_ all of the social graces I taught you when you were younger?" Genevieve asked, sending her arm between the door and the frame.

Jason halted the closing of the door and narrowed at the woman he disdainfully called 'mother'. "So, you're inviting yourself in, then?"

"Well, since you seem disinclined to do so…" Genevieve replied, opening the door and brushing in past Jason. Jason slammed the door shut and turned to Genevieve.

"What is it that you want?"

"Just to see my son," Genevieve replied, feigning hurt feelings. "What else would I possibly want?"

"I don't know Mom, there's just so much." Jason said; his voice still clearly upset. "The more, as you would say, _prudent_ question is: What wouldn't you want?"

"Oh, come now Jason, when have I ever been anything but a good mother to you?"

Jason stood silently, giving his fur-clad mother a dark stare. He could go two ways here. He could either go off on how she'd done things that were more in her best interests than his, or he could just stay calm and change the subject.

Jason opted for the latter. "Would you like something to drink?" he offered, going back to the box he'd been unpacking.

"No, thank you, Jason. I'm fine," Genevieve said, watching as Jason pulled out a couple of picture frames. "I am sorry about your falling out with Lana, though."

"We didn't have a falling out, Mom. We're just taking a break."

"A break," Genevieve stated, her eyebrows raised. "I see."

"Not another word on this topic, Mom," Jason said as he went to the nook to set up the picture frames. Genevieve followed Jason, watching as he set down a silver frame with a picture of herself, Jason as a baby, and another little boy with blonde hair and blue eyes who was about eight or nine years old. Genevieve had always loved that picture, while Jason had always felt that there was something a little off about it. He could never place his finger on what, exactly.

"Your older brother," Genevieve said, wistfully, as she picked the frame up and held it. Her left hand caressed the older boy's face lovingly for a moment before she set it back down. "God bless him," she whispered quietly. "May he rest in peace." She turned to Jason then and said, "He would have been great things, your brother. It's a pity you never knew him. He would have been a good influence on you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind," Genevieve said, waving her hand. "Tell me, is there anything you need for your new home?"

"Nothing at all. I'm well off on my own."

"Without your parents' riches?"

'I don't want to go into this."

Genevieve nodded. "You have my number if you need me. I'll let myself out," she said, heading towards the door. She opened the door and, before leaving, stated, "And Jason? I do hope you can work things out with Lana. She's very much a…miracle."

* * *

"So, this is witch town," Zatanna said as Lana took the exit that they had been given by Mapquest. 

"I wouldn't call it that anymore," Bart added. "That was a couple of hundred years ago."

"So was slavery," Lana pointed out, "but sometimes people never change. Some humans still practice racism against African-Americans. I'm sure that others do the same against witches."

"I prefer sorceress," Zatanna pointed out. "Or magick-user. They're much more PC."

"You know what I mean," Lana said. "Okay, so we take a right turn here and…what exactly are we looking for again?"

"I think that would be the place," Bart said, pointing out to a tall, slender tower quite a ways ahead of them. While most of the morning sky in Salem was bright and sunny, the area immediately around the tower was dark, and somewhat stormy.

"Why would you say that?" Zatanna asked snidely. "Because it's so very Addams Family?"

"Wouldn't you?" Bart asked.

"I would. And it is. I can feel magick emanating from the place. _Deeps_." Zatanna said, speeding up the car quite a bit. The magickal shove that Zatanna gave the car landed them their sooner than they would have gotten there, had they just kept on driving at regular human pace, which is what they had adopted once Lana had taken reigns of the steering wheel.

As they drove up a long winding road to the tower, the sky above them darkened, and lightning could be seen, as well as thunder heard.

"This doesn't look good," Lana said, worried.

"Not at all. Check that out," Bart added, pointing towards the courtyard of the tower. There, in front of the tall, ivory and stone tower, was a scene that the trio had probably only seen in movies or video games up until then.

Fissures in the ground were cracking open as lightning randomly struck around them. Thunder boomed in the air as a lone figure arose from off the ground. The distinctly male figure was dressed in some sort of suit of blue and gold and wore a golden helmet that shone brightly in the darkened sky.

Out of the fissures crawled demons that none of them had ever seen before.

"Great time to pop by for a visit," Lana said softly.

"Who is that?" Bart asked.

"I guess the person we came to see. Kent Nelson. I just didn't know that he was Dr. Fate."

"Dr. Who?" Bart asked, confused.

"No, no, Dr. Fate," Zatanna replied, her brow furrowed. "I just didn't know he was Kent Nelson." She paused for a moment, lost in though, and then said, "Well, we've got two options, guys. We can turn around and pretend we never came…or we can help someone who's obviously in trouble." She looked between Lana and Bart, both of whom seemed to have their resolve set. "I guess we're helping?" They both nodded.

Zatanna took in a deep breath. She would regret this. She knew she would. But what other choice did they have? Not only might Dr. Fate be able to help Lana, but he might also be able to help Zatanna find her father.

"Let's go then."

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys! So, yeah, that was a reference to the bottled city of Kandor. I couldn't help myself there. -D. And yeah, so, I'm surprised I didn't see some sort of vile backlash at the whole Clark/Alicia thing last chapter, though I'm glad I didn't. -D. Alicia plays a fairly big role in the chain of events to follow…Oh, and the Gotham City reference? I took bits and pieces from various continuities and pretty much went for the story that the Reaper from Batman Year Two may have actually been a Batman-esque vigilante who had his own Rogues Gallery. Yeah, I know, a horrible way to mess with continuity, and I really hope you guys can forgive me for it. Please-D. 

Anyway, keep your comments and criticisms coming, yeah? Even if you have something horrible to say...go ahead and say it. I'm interested. -D Hope to hear from you all soon!


	27. Battlefield

Lightning struck not three inches from where Zatanna stood as she closed the door of her car.

"Are we sure we wanna get into this?" Lana yelled out above the sounds of the storm, her hair being whipped around by the wind.

"Too late to back away now!" Zatanna yelled out, pulling out her hair sticks from her loose bun. Her dark, loose waves tumbled free and whipped around crazily in the wind as she held one stick in each other and used a spell to turn them into swords. She threw one to Lana and one to Bart, who asked,

"Why not use a spell to kill all the demons!"

"Because I don't have that kind of power yet!" Zatanna called back, heading towards the demons. Lana and Bart followed suit, flanking the raven-haired Homo magi as they made their way towards the demons surrounding Dr. Fate.

One of the demons, a particularly nasty yet generic looking thing with some fur and horns made for Zatanna, who screamed out, "Nomed pots! Nrub!" The demon went out in flaming gory as Zatanna swiftly moved past it, lashing out at a second demon that looked like it may be from the same clan as the first.

Lana raised her sword in defense as a yellow skinned demon – replete with a magenta freckled face and mouths where its eyes should have been – brought its claws down on her. She blocked the demon's move and brought her knee up, catching him in the stomach. As the demon went down, Bart jumped in and hacked its head off, sending the demon bursting in a spray of putrid white blood.

"Why are they here!" Lana cried out, asking either Bart or Zatanna.

"I don't know!" Zatanna called back, as thunder rolled through the skies. "If we can get over to Dr. Fate maybe he can help us!" She savagely slammed her open palm into a random demon's face, sending him back a step or two, giving her enough room to try to land a flying kick. The demon caught her, though, and threw her down on the body of a demon she had just taken out moments ago. Zatanna cursed as she fell, not having enough time to actually use any spell to break her fall.

As Zatanna fell, Bart rushed up behind the demon and hacked its head off, sending the head flying in one direction as the body narrowly missed Zatanna, who was scrambling to get up. "There're so many of them!" she exclaimed as she dusted off her pants. She turned to Bart then and asked him, "Bart, if you run through the demons fast enough, what do you think will happen?"

"Not sure," he replied, giving a demon behind him the elbow. "They might go all splatters-ville, or maybe I'll end up hurting myself. I've never tried anything like that before."

Zatanna nodded, "Alright, we won't try that quite yet then."

"Augh! Guys, a little help here!" Lana cried out as a demon pinned itself onto her, sending Lana down on the cracked earth and mud. She struggled for a few moments, kicking and trying to lash out, but the demon was too strong for her.

"Nomed teg ffo fo reh!" Zatanna yelled out, causing the demon to go flying back in the air. He'd be back soon, she knew, as she moved to take out another one.

"I don't think we're doing much good here!" Bart said, backing up Lana. Zatanna seemed as though she were doing okay on her own, and so Bart chose to stay with Lana, who actually seemed to love playing the damsel in distress. Even if she didn't love it, Bart had to admit that the girl had an unprecedented knack for the role. What was it that Clark saw in her, besides her beauty?

"You're right, we aren't!" Zatanna called back, after commanding a demon to turn to stone. "We need to move closer to Fate!"

"How the hell do we do that!" Lana cried out, hacking off a demon's arm. Blood squirted out of the demon's arm, splattering another demon. The demon in question started to burn immediately.

"Like this!" Bart yelled out throwing his sword out wide. He grabbed both Zatanna and Lana and ran through the chaos, dodging demons as he took the girls to the center of the demonic maelstrom. He stopped then, and let go of the girls just in time to grab his sword. "Now we fight our way out," he said, hacking away at a demon.

Zatanna took only a moment to take note of how adept Bart was in the middle of a battle with a group of demons before taking out a demon on her own. Was it possible that Bart had seen things on his petty crime spree across the world? Had he met other demonic beings before? If that were the case, and if he still knew where to find them, she might be able to use his help in trying to find Zatara.

But first to the matters at hand.

Zatanna took note of a particularly muddy area and, concentrating on it, yelled out, "cidicA dnaskciuq!" As her spell took place, she saw three golden ankhs zoom past her head and hit the chests of three different demons, each one dying instantly.

Zatanna looked up to see Dr. Fate descending down upon them, lightning flashing just above his head as he did so.

"Zatanna," he said in way of greeting, landing down right next to her.

"Dr. Fate," Zatanna replied right before using a spell to decapitate a demon.

The two magick-users worked as a team, Fate's spells proving far more effective than Zatanna's.

Zatanna whipped around when she heard a shrill scream come from Lana. She was going down, fast. Zatanna used a spell to knock the demon attacking Lana away before turning back to Dr. Fate. "Nothing we're doing is working, Dr. Fate," Zatanna said, her voice showing how heavily she was worried. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I upset someone," Dr. Fate replied simply. "The demons won't go until blood has spilt and someone dies." He threw a force-field around himself and Zatanna. "And it won't be yours or your friends. Go inside to Inza, and let me handle this. We'll discuss your reasons for being here later."

Zatanna looked at Dr. Fate with fire in her eyes. "I don't think so. My friends and I, we can help you with this," she said. "It evens the odds a bit more."

"Your father-"

"-would only put up the act of trying to stop me," Zatanna replied defiantly.

Dr. Fate let the force-field down. "If you insist."

"I do," Zatanna replied, flashing Dr. Fate a confident smile before leaping back into the fray.

* * *

Sunlight filtered gently in through the window and onto Alicia's face. The young woman had been asleep, and a soft, sweet smile was spread across her face. Her eyes fluttered open at the sunlight and she squinted her eyes as she checked the clock on the nightstand next to her. Eight-eleven am. Alicia sat up, drawing her blankets around her as she turned to face Clark, who wasn't beside her.

"Clark?" she asked softly.

"Mmfph," came a voice from slightly above her.

Alicia cocked her head up, looking directly above the spot where Clark should have been sleeping. The Kryptonian floated in mid-air, his head resting on his folded arms, as he slept peacefully, a happy grin across his face.

"So, I made you that happy, did I?" Alicia asked coyly, her eyes searching Clark's handsome face. He seemed to be lost in his own dream world, and though Alicia hated to wake him up, she knew that getting to Salem was incredibly important to him. "Hey, Clark?" she asked, reaching up and placing a gentle hand on his strong, broad bare shoulder. "Clark…its morning." When the teenager gave no reply, Alicia nudged him a little roughly and, in a firmer voice, stated, "Clark."

"Hey, hmm…what?"

"Wakey wakey, loverboy. It's morning."

As Clark groggily regained consciousness, he dropped from mid-air and landed on the bed rather hard. Alicia moved out of the way, grabbing her blankets along with her.

"Had a nice night?" Alicia asked flirtatiously as Clark sat up on the bed. Alicia awkwardly got up from the floor, still holding the bed sheets and blanket close to her.

Clark grinned at her. "What do you think?"

"You tell me, Mr. Man," Alicia said as she got back on the bed. She kissed him chastely on the lips and pulled away, staring into his eyes for a long moment.

The night before…well…what could she say about it? To say that it had been perfect would be cliché; to say that it had been beautiful would be expected. Sure, the night had contained its own moments of teenage awkwardness, but overall…Alicia's smile grew in spite of herself. She was happy. Happier than she had been in a long time, happier than she might ever be again. "There's a lot I'd like you to say…but we don't have time for it, lover. We have to be in Salem, remember?"

"We?"

"You really think you're going without me?"

"I don't want to put you in any danger," Clark replied. "So…I thought it'd be best if you stayed here."

"Danger? Clark, whatever it is that you're going to Salem for, I highly doubt it's dangerous. Besides, my powers can get us there faster than yours."

"Have you even seen the place that we're going to?"

Alicia shook her head. "No, not really. But I've been to Salem, and once we teleport there, it won't be hard to find the address we're looking for. Come on, Clark…please?" she asked, giving him a somewhat pouty look.

"You just want the bracelet off," Clark joked.

"Henh. I am a good girl now."

"Yes, so I've experienced," Clark replied, alluding to their night together.

Alicia whacked Clark with a pillow as she said, "You know what I meant."

"Yeah. Alright, let's get dressed," Clark replied, getting up and grabbing a towel.

"Why are you going to Salem anyway?" Alicia asked, realizing that she didn't quite understand what it was that was going with Clark and Salem.

"I'll explain in the shower," Clark said, winking at Alicia as he walked into the bathroom.

Alicia grinned vivaciously as she dropped her blankets and followed Clark.

* * *

The fight against the demons was getting worse, and the tiny team of four was losing miserably.

Or, at least, they felt as though they were.

The young woman looked over to where Dr. Fate and Lana were locked in battle, only to see them faring just a little better than herself and Bart were. Dr. Fate was definitely powerful, but if what he said was true, what they were trapped in might just mean a battle to the death. For all of them or just one of them, Zatanna was unsure.

She just wished there was something that she – or any of them really – could do to stop this madness.

Bart and Zatanna had stopped their playful quipping sometime ago and had retreated to a darker place inside them, a place where they could unleash the primal warrior that Zatanna believed to be in most humans and magick-users.

"Dammit, this is getting us nowhere!" Bart said, chucking his sword to Zatanna, who grabbed it out of mid-air. She tried hacking off demons' body parts with it, but upon finding that she didn't feel comfortable with the sword, immediately transformed it into a compact battle axe.

"What are you doing!" Zatanna asked Bart as she deftly dismembered two demons. She liked the axe in her hand, and felt renewed energy as she fought; realizing that casting so many spells had started to take a toll on her.

"Trying to see if I can use my powers any differently," he replied, starting to speed around a trio of demons. As he gained speed, Zatanna noticed flashes of yellow electricity bounding from the mad red whirlwind that was Bart Allen.

Her attention was severely broken with a punch to her gut from another demon. Zatanna whirled her axe in her hand and brought it down on the demon, splitting him in half and causing him to combust in a splattering of goo before it completely hit the ground.

As Zatanna started to take on another demon, Bart accomplished what he was hoping to accomplish. He'd started a small tornado with his speed, and inside the tornado was trapped the three demons he'd been circling.

As the tornado whirled madly in place, Bart blocked an attack from another demon and threw it into the whirlwind, the demon getting caught up in its chaotic circling.

"Nice idea!" Zatanna yelled out as she jumped up and caught her current opponent in the face with a neat roundhouse kick. The demon fell back just enough to fall headfirst into the whirlwind.

Zatanna didn't know how many demons the man-made tornado would take, and so she used a spell to fry the demons alive in the tornado. As the tornado started to die down, Bart started another one around another set of demons.

* * *

Lana Lang wasn't enjoying herself. She was back to back with Dr. Fate, a man she didn't know, yet a man who was supposed to help her. As Lana lashed out at demons, cringing every time blood spurted, Dr. Fate used a variety of spells to send the demons nearly anywhere and everywhere except for where they were.

Lana had done some martial arts training after realizing that she would need to learn how to defend herself thanks to the insanity that was Smallville, but she had never prepared herself for battles of this ilk.

As Lana got more and more entrenched in the battle, she was surprised to discover that, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was able to name the demons. How was that possible? Lana pondered over this as she hacked away at the horn of a particular demon and reached out to grab the horn, taking it and slamming it into the demon's gaping wide maw, sending the reddish brown thing down on the ground and killing it.

She knew how to do that, she realized, surprised. She had instinctively known how to defeat the demon.

But…how?

Lana didn't have any time for thoughts as she took on her next opponent, dispatching that one just as easily. Her eyes glimmered with confidence as Lana turned to face the others. She could do this. She could fight them

And they just might win.

* * *

Clark and Alicia were hardly ready for the scene before them when Alicia finally teleported them to the address that Bart had provided Clark.

"Please tell me that we're on the set of a movie somewhere," Alicia asked, turning to Clark. "You know, like, Joss Whedon's latest venture or something."

Clark shook his head. "I don't think so. I think that those – what…demons? Monsters? Whatever they are, they seem to be the real deal."

"Where're the others?" Alicia asked, searching the horrific scene before them for some sign of, well, Lana, since that was the only one out of the trio that Alicia had actually seen before. She wouldn't recognize any of the others.

Clark used his x-ray vision to survey the scene in front of him, trying to see if he could find any human skeletons. It was a horrific scene indeed, with rain and lightening beating down on a parade of howling, screaming, roaring demons of almost any and every shape, size, and color. He found what he was looking for moments later.

"There," he said, pointing out to the tower. He could make out two figures, one that was unmistakably Lana wielding a sword, and the other an obviously male figure dressed in blue and yellow, with a golden helmet perched on his head.

Just a few feet away from them, he took note of Zatanna and Bart also fighting the demons. Bart seemed to be zipping around creating tornadoes, into which Zatanna was throwing their opponents, and then using some sort of spell to incinerate them.

"Guess we'd better hop right in," Clark offered. He turned to Alicia. "We'll go towards Zatanna first."

Alicia nodded bravely as she took hold of Clark's hand. "Let's go then."

CRACK! The demon's nose cracked as Zatanna slammed her open palm into his face. "God, I'm sorry. Do they have plastic surgeons for your kind?" Zatanna quipped as she whirled and kicked him in his chest, sending him into Bart's latest twister.

"Zee, behind you!" Bart yelled as he took notice of a shimmering green something behind the sorceress. Zatanna launched herself in the air, twirling and catching Clark Kent square on his face.

Zatanna went down like a rag doll thrown against a brick wall as Clark stood there, shocked, holding the hands of a blonde girl that neither Bart nor Zatanna had seen before.

"Clark?" Bart asked.

"Hey," Clark greeted, looking cautiously around them. "What's going on here?"

"Long story short? Demonic attack that won't end until one of us bites the dust," Zatanna answered as Bart helped her up. She dusted off her jeans and grimaced as she noticed a tear in her fishnet arm warmers. She turned to Alicia then and asked, "And you are…?"

"Alicia. Baker. Clark's…umm…" Alicia faltered for a moment, unsure of whether or not to call herself Clark's –

"Girlfriend," Clark supplied, surprising even himself.

"Oh." Bart and Zatanna said in shocked unison, both of them giving Lana – whose back was turned to them as she fought off some demons – a glance.

"Long story," Clark said.

"If Lana catches wind of this, and things start to sway close to Dawson's Freaks territory, you will be so dead," Zatanna said, raising an eyebrow.

Clark nodded shyly, remembering Zatanna's reasoning behind Clark telling Lana his secret in the first place. So they wouldn't go all prime-time teenage drama on each other in the middle of any life-threatening problems.

Like the one at hand.

Which they were reminded of by a demon trying to hit Clark. Clark whirled around and used his heat vision to set the demon on fire. As he did so, both Bart and Zatanna whirled into action, Zatanna giving Alicia her axe so she could defend herself.

As Clark used his strength and heat-vision to knock out demons, Zatanna and Bart worked as a team as they went back to the way they had been fighting earlier.

* * *

Alicia stood, confused, in the midst of this, not sure what to do exactly.

It was…well…she didn't know what it was, when she thought about it…whether it was hilarious or ironic or whatever else…but just last year she'd run around killing people and threatening to kill others, and here she stood in the middle of a battlefield, unsure as how to kill demons.

And she had a battle axe in her hand.

"The hell are you doing!" Zatanna asked as she turned a demon into stone. "Start hacking away, lady!"

Alicia nodded and hefted her axe, swinging it at a nearby demon. The axe connected, but only slightly so. Alicia struggled to pull the axe out from the demon's neck but found herself unable to budge it. She cursed under her breath and turned to Clark for help, but noticed he was already busy fending off another piece of hell spawn. Alicia grabbed the axe again and, praying that this would work, teleported away. The axe teleported with her, though the demon stayed where it was, it's head half hanging on its head.

Zatanna pushed the demon into Bart's tornado moments before Alicia reappeared.

"Do you have any powers besides teleportation?" Zatanna asked between trading blows with yet another demon. The demon moved to bring his hands on either side of Zatanna's head, but Zatanna went down and lashed out with her leg, sending the demon down on its back. She took the axe from Alicia and hacked the demon's head off.

"No…no other powers," Alicia replied, taking the axe back.

Zatanna nodded. "Alright. Keep fighting then. And stay close to Bart, Clark, and me."

Alicia outwardly gave her assent to the sorceress and turned to take on a demon that was paying no attention to her whatsoever. She landed one good blow on the back of his neck, alerting him to the attention that she was giving him. The demon snarled at her as he made a swipe for her. Alicia hacked his arm away, only to see another grow in its place. Alicia cursed as she made to swipe the demon's belly, sending a viscous orange fluid all around the area around her.

Soon, though, Alicia was into the fighting. She was hacking away, ducking, punching, kicking, and picking up her own rhythm as she retreated to a place far within her mind. The same place, she realized, where she'd gone to when she had gone all Madison Bell on Lana a year ago.

Alicia pushed those thoughts away as she ducked an arrow from a crossbow and then came back up again, looking to see where the arrow had come from. Spotting the demon, Alicia teleported over to it and took it by surprise, butchering the demon.

She smiled wildly to herself, realizing that the more psychotic aspect of her nature could be put to good use her.

Not that her psychotic aspect still existed.

Right?

The young blonde grunted as she took a hit from a demon and swung back, knocking it unconscious. As she did so, she heard Clark screaming in pain. Alicia instantly appeared behind him, shock all over her face. Zatanna bore the same expression of shock as she threw apart the molecular configuration of a demon, thereby blowing it up.

She rushed over to Clark.

"What happened?" Zatanna asked, looking back and forth between Alicia and Clark.

"The arrow. It struck Clark." Alicia answered, wide-eyed with shock. Wasn't Clark, like, impervious to damage or something? She'd been under the impression that Clark's skin was impenetrable. So how…

"Dammit," Zatanna said. "Their weapons. They're made of magick. That's one of your weaknesses," she explained as she used a spell to ease an arrow out of Clark's back. She used the same arrow to kill another demon before turning back to him. "Be careful," she said. "We can't have you dying." With that, Zatanna resumed her fighting.

They all fought for another long while, every one of the people out there refusing to give in to their aching bones and tired muscles. Things still seemed hopeless though.

Alicia backed up Clark, fighting any demon that threatened Clark with a magickal weapon. She'd stolen a sword from a demon and was using that as her form of defense, blocking blows and administering short, painful jabs.

She loved Clark, Alicia realized, as she backed him up. She loved him the way that she wouldn't love anyone else ever again. He was her first love. Her greatest love. The love she'd do anything for. She smiled bitterly as she realized that last year she had nearly become a serial killer to fulfill that love. But that was done. Over with. She'd had a fresh start with Clark, and he'd introduced her as his girlfriend to her friends, so that was a really good sign. Plus, she thought, they made a really great team out on the battlefield. Something told her that this wouldn't be the only time Clark found himself in a dire situation, and Alicia wanted to be there with him all the way, backing him up and being his system of support.

Yep, they had the potential to go somewhere really, really great.

As Alicia fought while lost in thought, she didn't notice that Clark was inching away further and further away from her until she saw a demon with a bow and arrow take aim for Clark's back – with Clark unaware once again. Alicia knew that the demon was too far for her to teleport in time and stop him from shooting, so she did the only thing she could.

Alicia listened to every instinct in her body and teleported to where Clark was, screaming out his name.

Clark whirled around as Alicia appeared in front of him in a poof of green mist. Alicia's eyes widened in horror as the mist dissipated and the arrow that the demon had loosed struck her in the heart.

As Alicia went down, so too did the demons on the battlefield dissipate. Clark watched in horror as Alicia collapsed on the ground, blood dripping out of her wound and mingling with the rain.

She fell with a thud to the ground, her life being the one that ended the vengeance spell that had been placed upon Dr. Fate.

Clark went down after Alicia, falling to his knees and hugging her to his chest. He knew the wound was fatal, knew that she was dead, because that was the only way that all the demons could have disappeared.

He stared at Alicia's face, which was rapidly starting to turn blue, before he gave out a loud, anguished cry.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all…sorry I took longer than usual to update….this chapter ran a little longer than my usual ones. :-D I probably coulda done the fight scenes a little better, but it turns out I'm not too good at doing the grander fight scenes. Definitely need to work on that, lol.

Anyway, yeah….let me know what you guys thought of this chapter, okay? I do realize it's probably not my best piece of work so far, but still, any and all reviews are totally welcome and completely appreciated!

Thank you!

(And yeah…Arnold Vosloo as Fate? LOVE that!)

Until next time!


	28. Battle Aftermath

Lana was really into the fight. She was pummeling a particularly horny demon – okay, so maybe that wasn't the best of describing it - left and right, letting out every move that she had in her arsenal. The demon finally went down, and Lana moved to behead him when he disappeared.

As did all the other demons around her.

As the fissures in the earth started to close up and the thunderstorm lessened into becoming a gentle rain, Lana turned to Dr. Fate, whose expression she couldn't make out because of the helmet.

"What happened?" Lana asked, letting her weapon fall at her side.

"Blood has been spilt," he replied quietly, his voice stiff, formal. "A life has been taken." He gently jerked his head over to where Zatanna and Bart were. She saw that they were standing over someone, and briefly wondered who it was before she realized the only person it could be.

Clark Kent.

Clark. Was it his blood that had been spilt? No…that was impossible. Clark was kneeling on the ground, bent forward. The person that had died, were they in front of him?

Lana dropped her weapon and ran over to where Zatanna, Bart, and Clark were, trying to figure out who it could be that died.

She halted in her tracks, though, when she saw a wisp of blonde hair and heard Clark's anguished scream.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Chloe? Had Chloe Sullivan bit the dust?

No. It couldn't possibly be Chloe. What would Chloe be doing here in Salem? And why would Clark have brought her here?

She lightly jogged up to them, hearing Clark's racking sobs as she came up right behind Zatanna and Bart. She peered over their shoulders silently, and saw Alicia Baker's head cradled in Clark's lap.

Alicia.

Lana's mind was bombarded with thoughts. Was it Clark who had brought Alicia here as a sacrificial lamb? Impossible. Clark couldn't have known of the hell spawn that they had been fighting. And even if he had, he wouldn't have killed another human being. To do something that dark wasn't in Clark's soul. Besides, he wouldn't be that torn up over Alicia's death if he had brought her over to be killed. Unless he suddenly realized his mistake.

But no…killing someone, that wasn't in Clark's heart. Which could only mean that Alicia had come with Clark. But how? Alicia had been in Belle Reve. Had she escaped? Did she follow Clark here? She was dead, now, though. So, really, did any of Lana's questions even actually matter?

Her thought process was interrupted by Zatanna, who, feeling a presence behind her, turned around and said, "Lana."

Lana tore her eyes away from Clark to meet Zatanna's gaze. "What's going on?" she asked. "What happened? What's...what was…Alicia doing here?"

"Now's so not the time for this, Lana," Zatanna replied softly, indicating Clark, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Bart, whose hand was on Clark's shoulder, turned to give Lana and Zatanna an uneasy look, unsure of what to do.

Lana nodded slowly. "Of course." Lana moved to comfort Clark when Dr. Fate appeared behind them.

"Perhaps we should take this inside," he quietly suggested. Zatanna nodded in agreement. She and Bart quietly helped Clark up and helped him carry Alicia's body towards Dr. Fate's tower, with Lana following the three of them, confusion and pain etched onto her features.

* * *

Moments later, the small group of friends was seated in a spacious, tastefully decorated living room. They had placed Alicia's body in a nearby room, while Dr. Fate checked up on her. Zatanna sat on a love seat with her arms around Clark, soothing him and trying to calm him while Bart tried to find out why Lana had suddenly retreated inside herself.

Clark sobbed into Zatanna's shoulder as she held him tight, and the young woman had half a mind to use some sort of spell on his mind to ease his pain but decided against it. He was her friend, and the last thing she needed to be doing was playing with her friends' minds.

Inza Nelson, Dr. Fate's wife, entered the room, with a tray that bore upon it a tea pot and several tea cups, as well as some sugar, honey, and cream. Her striking green eyes glittered from beneath long lashes, and Zatanna was instantly charmed – and calmed – by the woman's warm, charming, and kind smile. The smile wasn't one of happiness though, it was one of welcome, and of sorrow. She understood the pain that Clark was in, and yet sought to welcome the four teenagers into her home, to ease their collective pain in some way.

Zatanna silently thanked her as Inza seated herself across from the four super-powered teens. Inza nodded and then said, in a rich, calming voice, "Kent will be out to see you all shortly."

"What exactly is he doing?" Bart asked.

"Checking up on your friend," she answered solemnly. "Seeing if anything can be done."

"Done?"

"To save her."

"Wouldn't that reverse everything though? I mean…bringing her back to life…wouldn't that reinstate the curse?"

"Not at all," Inza replied. "But I highly doubt that -"

"Then do it," Clark said, softly at first.

"Pardon?" Inza asked, not quite sure of what she had heard.

Zatanna looked with alarm at the Kryptonian, who was beginning to shake violently as he broke free of her embrace. The whites of his eyes were tinged with red from crying, and his face was puffy. His lower lip quivered uncontrollably as a tear drop from his upper lip onto it, and then into his mouth.

"I said, then do it. Bring her back to life. Now."

"Clark -" Zatanna ventured, hesitantly.

"No," Clark stated, his voice a little firmer. "Bring Alicia back now. Someone do it. Dr. Fate. You. Lana. Someone. Anyone."

"None of us have that sort of power, Clark," Inza replied, her voice still keeping its regal bearing.

"She does," Clark said, pointing at Lana, who was staring at him, bewildered and hurt.

"Clark, what do you mean?"

"The butterfly. In biology lab. You raised it from the dead. Do it again, Lana. Bring someone back from the dead. Bring back Alicia."

"What? Clark, no! I don't have that sort of power!"

"Yes you do!" Clark yelled out, jumping to his feet. His eyes were flashing and Zatanna, worried that he might decide to use his heat vision on Lana, jumped to her feet, preparing herself to use any spell that may be necessary to stop Clark from doing something crazy if he tried.

"I'm telling you, Clark, I don't have that sort of power," Lana replied icily. Zatanna turned to look at Lana, confused. What the hell was going on? Clark's being hysterical she could understand, but why was Lana suddenly running for the office of vapid bitch?

Clark opened his mouth to argue, but he was cut off by Kent Nelson, out of his Dr. Fate costume now, who calmly stated, "She's right, young man. She doesn't have the sort of power that you seek." All heads turned to Nelson, who was standing outside a thick door that he had just closed. The expression on his quite young, extremely handsome face was solemn as he walked over to his wife Inza and stood opposite the four teenagers. "From what I sense about her, she can't bring the dead back to life. Not the human dead anyway."

"So…then…" Clark faltered, unable to say anything more. He couldn't exact vengeance because those who did this to her were dead already. He couldn't feel rage towards anyone because this truly was no one else's fault. All he felt was a deep, underlying sense of emptiness.

"I'm sorry," Nelson said softly as Clark sank back down to his seat, sobbing softly.

Silence prevailed as they all took a few moments to quietly mourn the death of someone who could only be called a comrade.

* * *

"I really don't like the looks on either of your faces," Zatanna ventured that night in Kent Nelson's study. Nelson, Zatanna, and Inza were seated around a large wooden table, each of their faces seemingly worn out by the events of the day. Clark, Lana, and Bart had all retired to their respective guest bedrooms, rooms that Inza had prepared for them earlier.

The day hadn't gone well for any of them. After spending the morning mourning and then burying Alicia, Kent had taken Lana in to run some tests on her. What he had found had not only shocked him beyond belief, but it had also terrified him. Kent hadn't come across anything like what he'd found in her ever, and nothing in any of his books indicated that anyone before him had discovered what he had.

After a brief meeting with Inza, it was decided that they should first talk to Zatanna in private and explain the situation to her, and see her insight on the new developments that Kent had discovered.

"You won't like what we have to say, then, either," Inza replied softly.

"Try and shock me," Zatanna said dryly. "Enough's happened in the past few weeks that seriously, nothing would shock me horribly."

"There are three souls battling for purchase over Lana's body," Kent said, point blank.

"Except that. You wanna come again?"

"Lana…her body…there are three souls contained in there, hers as well as two others, and they are all stuffed inside, secretly warring to gain control of her physicality."

Zatanna nodded slowly, one hand instinctively reaching up to grab a lock of her hair. She twirled it slowly, pondering over what Kent had just told her. "I should have figured as much." Zatanna paused for a moment, but seeing the puzzled expressions on Inza and Kent's faces, she continued. "Lana…when Clark, Bart, and I brought her back…she came back different. She was, like, connected to the insect world; somehow…she could control insects. She even brought a dead butterfly in class to life. At first, I merely figured that Lana came back with new powers. But bringing her back to life shouldn't have been able to do that."

Kent nodded silently. "You're right it shouldn't have. What you used to bring her back, it was the soul of an ancient Egyptian goddess, correct?"

"Her essence, yes."

"In this case, it's more or less the same thing, Zatanna. In any case, Lana was somehow able to tap into that essence, which is as yet the most submissive, and utilize her powers without realizing it."

"But what about the third soul?"

"I can't discern what that soul is as yet, but it's old, and powerful. Not as powerful and not as old as the goddess essence, but it's strong. And possibly evil."

Zatanna was silent for a moment, flashing back to events in weeks gone past, specifically the events during Chloe's birthday party. The witch that had inhabited Lana's body then…what was her name? Isobel Theroux. Zatanna was sure that she had completely exorcized the witch's spirit though.

Hadn't she?

"You doubt something," Inza stated, point blank.

Zatanna nodded. "I do. Some time ago, Lana was possessed by the spirit of an ancestor of hers, a witch named Isobel Theroux. I tried to exorcize her from Lana's body…and I thought I had. It was how Lana initially, you know…died. Maybe I failed in exorcizing the spirit?"

"It does seem like it. Unless the spirit waited, and came back from the ether when you brought Lana back. Whatever the case may be, we now have three souls within one teenage girl's body."

"What does this mean?" Zatanna asked.

"Nothing good," Kent replied ominously.

* * *

Lana tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. It wasn't the fact that she was in strange surroundings that caused her sudden attack of insomnia, nor was it the possibility that her bed was uncomfortable, because this bed was one of the most comfortable beds she'd slept in in a long while. It wasn't Alicia's death that bothered her as well.

Oh, but her problem was Alicia-connected.

Why had Alicia come to Salem with Clark? Forget that, why the hell was Alicia with Clark at all?

Lana simmered in her bed, upset. She stared out the window into the night, seeing the stars but not really seeing them.

After all, all she saw at the moment was red. Vivid, violent, Vesuvius red.

Lana sat up and pushed the bed covers off of her. As she slipped on a pair of slippers that Inza had provided, and straightened out her nightgown, Lana made up her mind.

She was going to confront Clark.

Moments later found Lana outside in the hallway. She silently padded down the hall and towards the large, thick door that she knew led to Clark Kent's bedroom. She silently opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door softly behind her.

Clark gently stirred in his bed as Lana crept up to him. She stood by him a moment, staring at his silent, still face. He looked so handsome in his sleep, peaceful, even though his day had been wrought with pain.

Pain which she was about to add to in a moment or so. Without regret too. Lana knew somewhere inside that she shouldn't be doing what she was about to do, but there was some other force pushing her to wake Clark up and confront him about Alicia.

She gave in to the urge and shook him. "Clark, Clark wake up," she said, not a little gently.

Clark stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Lana," he said softly. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Clark," Lana said, sitting down on the bed across from him. "Not at this second anyway. I just needed to talk to you."

"About?"

"Alicia."

"Oh." Clark immediately became alert, and his puffy eyes met Lana's in the near dark. "I don't think I'm ready to talk about her, Lana. I mean, I appreciate -"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I think you took what I said the wrong way. I don't want to console you Clark. I want to confront you."

"What!"

"About Alicia, Clark. I want to talk to you about that. About why she was here with you, about why she was even here at all. About why you're so wracked with pain over her death when she tried to kill me last year."

"Look, Lana…there's no easy way to explain of this. And it's not anything I particularly want to delve into right now."

"Yeah, well that's rough Clark, because I want to. I need to," Lana heatedly said.

Clark sat silently, unsure of what to do. Lana seemed beyond angry at the moment, and he knew that saying anything might just make her angrier, and possibly violent. And with whatever mysterious powers she may have, that wouldn't be a good thing.

"Fine. Talk."

"What the hell was she doing here?"

"She teleported me here, Lana. She came to help out, see if she could do anything."

"So, what…she escaped from Belle Reve? Did you help her?"

"They let her go, Lana. Alicia was cured. Alicia was cured, and she came to see me, to let me know that she was out, and that she wasn't going to pull a Glenn Close on us again."

"And then? That doesn't explain why she was here," Lana argued, getting all the more incensed.

"What is it that you want to hear, Lana?"

"The truth, Clark. The same that I've always wanted. The truth. What was there between you and Alicia to break you down the way you did?"

"I can't answer that, Lana."

"Why not."

"Because it's not something you need to hear."

"Yes, Clark, it is. Do you know why it is? Because only a few days ago, you came out and told me everything about you. You gave me everything that I had asked of you. And then we kissed, Clark. We kissed. You and me, under that tree in the park. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Lana…this topic…this whole conversation…it's difficult. I can't…it's nothing we can discuss without anyone getting hurt."

Lana nodded, and looked down. "I understand," she said softly.

"You do?"

"Of course I do, Clark," Lana said, her voice filled with understanding. "I understand that someone's going to get hurt tonight."

Clark didn't have time to respond as Lana looked up, an odd, hazy golden light simmering in her eyes. She lifted her hand and yelled something out in some archaic language that Clark did not know.

Clark flew off the bed and hit the wall behind him full-force. He stayed there, pinned by magic, as Lana stood up on the bed.

"It really didn't have to be this way, Clark," she said menacingly.

Zatanna, Kent, and Inza were in the midst of discussing Lana's predicament when they heard a loud, resounding bang come from somewhere in the tower. Kent and Inza turned to look at each other as the three of them leaped to their feet.

"What was that?" Zatanna asked as magick began to spark in her hands.

Kent was silent, his face a bearing an expression of deep thought. He was concentrating on something. "There haven't been any breaches opened, and there's no one hiding on the property," he said after a moment.

Inza immediately perked up, her eyes growing wide. "Which means -"

"Lana!" Zatanna yelled out, throwing open the door of the study and running out into the hallway, with Inza and Kent on her heels.

* * *

Mere moments later found Zatanna, Kent, and Inza throwing open the door to the room that Inza and given Clark. They saw Clark pinned against the wall and Lana standing in front of him menacingly.

"Lana, what the hell are you doing?" Zatanna demanded as she stepped up to the bed. She looked up at Lana, her facial expression not giving away the tiniest bit of fear that she felt.

Was Lana utilizing her goddess essence right now? How much more powerful than her did that make Lana? And against Dr. Fate?

"Getting some answers," Lana said dangerously, gritting her teeth.

"I think you need to step away from him, Lana, and let him down. Clark's your friend. Your childhood friend. Come on, let's step back and drop the wicked witch act, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Lana nodded. "Or, really, we could do this," she said, stretching one hand out towards Zatanna and throwing her against the wall next to Clark as well.

"Any other bright ideas?" Clark grunted.

"No, but I think Dr. Fate might have some," Zatanna remarked as a golden ankh flew out and collided with Lana, sending her flying off the bed and on the floor. As Lana went down, so too did the crackling magickal energy that kept Clark and Zatanna pinned against the wall. The alien and the sorceress fell on the bed as Lana righted herself.

Lana threw out a ball of magickal golden energy at Kent, now in his Dr. Fate persona, and yelled out, "This is none of your concern!"

Dr. Fate blocked Lana's magic, dissipating it with a flick of his hand and a quick flash of a golden ankh. He said nothing as he threw another ankh at her, this one knocking her unconscious.

Zatanna and Clark scrambled off of the bed as Dr. Fate approached the unconscious farm girl.

"She's becoming dangerous," Inza remarked to her husband and the two teenagers.

"Faster than we expected," Dr. Fate agreed. He turned to Zatanna and said, "You know the dangers that she presents, Zatanna. You know what we must -" he was suddenly cut off by a blast of magic that sent him flying towards Zatanna and the others. Zatanna instinctively yelled out a spell to help Dr. Fate ease his landing.

Lana stood up, golden energy crackling around her entire body. "You really didn't expect that to seriously knock me out, did you?" she asked cruelly. "I have more power in me than the two of you combined!"

"This is precisely why I didn't want any drama here," Zatanna shot at Clark as she moved up beside Dr. Fate. She turned to him and said, "I need you to keep Lana busy. I kind of have a plan to take her down."

"What sort of a plan?" Clark asked.

"You'll see," she told him. "I need you to run out of the room, though, now. Without super speed. Inza, I need you completely out of the way for now, and Dr. Fate? I need you to hold her back with magick as she chases Clark."

"And you?" Dr. Fate asked.

"Trust me," Zatanna said, not at all showing off the fact that she didn't trust herself as yet. She only had the merest inkling of a plan, and she prayed desperately to any pantheon that was paying attention to her that her as yet half-baked plan would succeed.

On her signal, Clark ran out of the room. Lana, angered, ran after him, but not before throwing mystic energy balls at Inza, Dr. Fate, and Zatanna. Dr. Fate dived in front of Zatanna and Inza to shield them, and all three spheres of mystic energy hit him. Dr. Fate fell to the ground, unconscious. Inza gasped and fell to her knees, undoing Kent's mask.

"Kent? Kent are you alright?" She removed his helmet and checked his pulse, relieved upon finding one. "He's alive."

"He's made of stronger stuff than some half-baked witch-goddess," Zatanna answered, her eyes opening wide with fear. There went part of her plan.

There was only one thing to do now.

Zatanna told Inza to wait there and ran out of the room, magick crackling in her hands and in her eyes. There was only one thought on her mind, only one thing she could do now, and she hoped that this one thing would end their problems.

Zatanna turned a corner and spotted Lana, who seemed to be getting ready to hit Clark with everything she had. "Dloh ti thgir ereht hctib!" Zatanna yelled out, freezing Lana on spot. The young woman struggled in her place, but she couldn't break free of Zatanna's anger-powered spell.

The sorceress came out in front of Lana and stood in front of her, legs spread wide and a look of confidence on her face. Zatanna had gone somewhere deep inside herself while chasing Lana, and now all the came to the fore was the more warrior side of her magickal personality.

"You can't hold me here long!"

"I don't mean to, Lana. I'm sorry about what I'm going to do…but if the memory of this day ever comes to you, you'll understand why I did what I did."

Lana looked at Zatanna quizzically. "What do you me -" Lana was cut off as Zatanna concentrated and brought her hands up to Lana's head.

Magick pulsated from Zatanna's hands as she touched Lana's temples and played with her friend's mind.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey all, sorry again about the long pause in updating…been one of those months, I guess, lol. So yeah, chapter 27 was incredibly predictable, but I guess it was going to be? Someone usually tends to die in a big war scene…and Alicia, though I love her to death, had to be that girl. It couldn't be any of the main characters for obvious reasons, lol.

Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter (I personally think it could have been better but...) and keep on reading and reviewing! Until (hopefully) next week!


	29. The Morning After

"What exactly did you do to her?" Clark asked Zatanna only about twenty minutes later, as he carried Lana back to the room that Inza had given her.

Zatanna shook her head, "I just, you know…calmed her down. Put her to sleep."

"You must have knocked her out pretty well," Clark said, stepping into Lana's room.

"Yeah…it was a pretty potent spell…Lana might not even remember what happened, it might just seem like some sort of hazy dream…so maybe we shouldn't breach the subject with her," Zatanna said, watching Clark set Lana down on her bed. He drew Lana's covers over her and then turned to Zatanna.

"I should go see how Dr. Fate and Inza are doing."

"Go," Zatanna nodded. "I'll be there in a second." The sorceress watched Clark go and then pulled up a chair, seating herself next to Lana. She hung her head and, taking Lana's hand in hers, brought it up to her forehead, her heart heavy with regret.

Zatanna was wracked with guilt for what she had done, but she wasn't sure what else she could have done from trying to stop Lana from going on a killing rampage. Fiddling with her mind had been difficult, at best, and Zatanna wasn't too sure on how it worked out since Lana blacked out right after Zatanna finished whatever it was she had been doing. She also hated lying to Clark about what she had done, but Clark was so full of high, strict morals that he wouldn't understand why Zatanna did what she had done.

She just hoped she'd never have to use a spell like that on a friend again.

"Lana…I'm sorry, sweetie, I really am. Goddess, I've screwed you over so many times in the past couple of weeks, haven't I? First with flaying you, and then bringing you back as something, well, completely different from what you were…and now this. Playing with your mind. Erasing memories, rearranging events…I didn't want to do any of it, Lana. Really, I didn't. It's a violation, and I know it…but there wasn't any other option, you know? Dr. Fate was knocked out, and you were completely channeling and overdramatic version of Carrie White. If you ever remember any of this…I hope you can forgive me…I just…" Zatanna faltered and held back her tears. One slid through anyhow, sliding down her cheek and dropping down on her satin pajama bottoms. "Sleep well, okay?" she said sweetly as she kissed Lana's forehead.

The same forehead that her magick had touched only moments ago…

Zatanna stopped that thought from going any further. She couldn't dwell on what she'd done, couldn't think about it too much. She'd done what she'd had to do, and that was that. There was no time for regrets, no space in her heart for guilt. There never could be, because magick could be dark and dangerous, and she knew she'd have to face it all as she grew older.

She had to grow from this and make herself stronger. She needed to learn how to compartmentalize.

In sudden need of fresh air, Zatanna let go of Lana's hand and left the room, deciding to go stand outside under the gentle morning shower for awhile.

* * *

"So, I heard I missed a huge thing last night," Bart greeted Zatanna the next morning at the breakfast table.

Zatanna grimaced. "You don't have the slightest clue what you missed. Seriously, be happy that you were Little Nemo in Slumberland last night, because you did not want to be with us."

"What happened?"

"Lana went crazy, she tried to kill Clark, we had to knock her out. That's really about it."

"I got to miss you making with the magic?"

"Yep, you did."

Bart gave Zatanna puppy eyes. "But I love watching you do the magic thing you do."

"And we will stop this conversation right here," Zatanna said as Clark walked into the room, showered and fresh. "How's Lana?" she asked him as he greeted them a good morning.

"Still asleep. She looks peaceful, so I don't think we'll have the teenage terror from last night running around when she wakes up. Where're Kent and Inza?" Clark asked as he grabbed a pitcher of orange juice and poured himself a glass. He sat himself down across from Zatanna and Bart and looked at both of them expectantly.

"Here," Zatanna said, sliding him a note that she had found on the desk in her room. "They've both gone out, Kent on some superhero business and Inza to run some errands. She should be back in a couple of hours."

"So, what's our plan then," Clark asked after scanning over the note, which was written in Inza's elegant script.

"I think stay here for another day, make sure that Lana's of the good, and then we leave for Smallville."

"What's the situation with Lana, anyway?" Bart asked. "What did Dr. Fate and Inza tell you?"

"Oh, you guys are going to love this," she said, leaning in to tell them about her conversation with Fate and Inza. She went over what Dr. Fate had said about the three souls, and what it could possibly mean for Lana and the rest of them.

"It's times like this when I wish I didn't have a penchant for asking questions," Bart said when Zatanna was finished. "So, this is worse than the whole 'Lana's a goddess reborn' theory."

"Possibly. I mean, yesterday she was ready to go all vengeance demon on Clark. Lana's harboring an incalculable amount of power, and she's a veritable atom bomb. If that girl ever gets aggravated enough and explodes, there's no telling what the hell will happen. Or, you know, hell will happen."

"So…what…we tread lightly around Lana now? No aggravating her?"

Zatanna nodded. "No aggravating her, no royally ticking her off, and Clark? Stay away from women in general, okay? I don't want Lana remembering…well…you know."

"You actually think I'm going to want to see any women now? After yesterday? Zatanna, I don't know if you realize this but -"

"Whoa, wait, hold on Clark. I'm not saying you're some sort of playboy. All I'm saying is that you are close to Chloe and Lois…and let's face it; there are times when you've got minor flirtations going on with both of them. Lana sees it, she might flash back to yesterday, and we so do not need that. Ever."

"Have you had a chance to speak to Dr. Fate about all the stuff that Madame Xanadu was hinting at? Regarding Lana's great destiny?"

Zatanna shook her head. "No. That's another reason we need to spend today here. I'm just worried, though, you know? That her destiny might be something more on the…well…evil side of things."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Everything that happened yesterday. The fact that Lana has two souls besides her own vying for power over her physical presence. The fact that one soul's a powerful witch and the other's an ancient goddess who we know nothing about. Can any of this be any good?"

A stunned silence came over the table as the three of them pondered Zatanna's last words.

* * *

_She awakens in her bed, shocked, shaken, and unsure. Something happened yesterday. She doesn't remember what, but it was bad…horrible. _

_She feels different, though, more powerful. It's almost as though something is missing from her physical body. Something important, something integral. It almost feels as though she has more space inside the body that she has inhabited. Like, she's less cramped, less conflicted. There are no more doubts anywhere in her mind, and her power feels like it has doubled in intensity. _

_That's when she realizes what has happened. How things have suddenly looked up in her favor. _

_It isn't just that there's more space in her body. It's more than that. It's the simple fact that the body's previous owner is no longer there. At all. She doesn't know where that person has gone, nor does she care. Why should see? Things are suddenly looking as bright and shiny as those crystals she's been after for hundreds of years now. _

_Isobel smiles to herself wickedly as she sits up in her bed. Now she's in the driver's seat. Now she owns this body. _

_Oh, but this is going to be so good. _

* * *

Writer's Note: Okay…so this chapter popped up faster than I expected it to, lol. Work was dead today, and I really had nothing else to do, so I went ahead and hammered out this chapter. Hope you guys like it. :-D.

Lol, Mark. "Pulling a habit out of a rat." Love that! Honestly, though, I don't think Zatanna screwed up on Light…I think she meant to rearrange his mind and make him a lame bad guy. Then again, I could very well be interpreting that wrong.

Nightcrawler, this mindwipe did anything but help their situation. Zatanna still has a long way to go before she gets a complete handle on her magick, and so messing with people's minds isn't something she should be doing just yet…but she does out of necessity. And I do promise some Clana action, because you can't have a Smallville tale without any Clana action…but it's going to be sometime coming. I hope you can stick with me until then?

Anyway, keep on r-and-ring, and I should have another chapter up soon! Thanks for the reviews so far guys…really really appreciate them to no end!


	30. Prophecy Revealed! Not!

The Nelson's garden was beautiful, Zatanna noted, as she quietly shut one of the tower's many doors behind her. She shuddered for a moment in the cool, crisp morning air, taking a good, long, look around her.

The landscape showed no signs of a battle from the day before. The grass all around her was a bright, perky, and luscious green. The light, airy gray mist that gently rolled along the ground did nothing but help make the green all around her seem evermore luscious, as though she was in a modern day Babylonian garden.

She smiled for a moment as she breathed in sweet, fragrant air, feeling calmer than she had since she'd come to Salem. Zatanna silently rounded a corner, coming across a large, sprawling, fragrant garden at the back of the tower. She smiled as she walked towards the exotic flora, cherishing the quiet peace of the day.

Zatanna sat down on a bench overlooking a wilder part of the valley below her, realizing that the Nelson's residence sat upon a hill that was on the outskirts of Salem. It was the perfect spot for practicing magick. It was also the perfect spot for being attacked by demons without the general public really being none the wiser. As she was sure they were about the huge battle that had happened when she, Bart and the others had set foot in Salem.

Or maybe Dr. Fate regularly did mind wipes. Maybe he had enough power to regularly erase the entire town's memories whenever something supernaturalistic occurred. And if he did that…then what she did the night before was okay, right?

Right?

"You are conflicted," a voice said suddenly behind her. Zatanna jumped up and whirled around to see Inza Nelson standing behind her, holding a pot full of flowers that Zatanna had never seen before.

"Conflicted? No…it's just one of those mornings."

Inza gave Zatanna one of her luminescent, warm smiles. "Zatanna, I have known your father for years now. Kent and I are the last people you should be lying to. What is it that has you looking so worried?" she asked as she sat herself down on the bench. She patted the empty spot next to her, indicating to Zatanna that she should sit down as well. Zatanna complied, giving Inza a smile of her own.

"It's nothing much, really," Zatanna said, lying. "I just…I had no clue how difficult things would become with Lana and trying to figure out what this huge mystery is. I mean…I came to Smallville to find my father. I didn't expect to make friends, to actually find any people that I cared about, and to stumble upon this huge, possibly apocalyptical deal."

"Perhaps this is a journey you must undertake, Zatanna. To help find your father. Maybe this will give you the magickal skills that you will need. Have you considered that?"

"I have, Inza…it's just that…well, went I went to see Uncle Jim, he told not to continue on this quest. He swore that he didn't know what was going on…but he had a bad feeling about it. After last night's incident, I'm a little worried too."

"Don't be. Don't be in the least. From what you've told us, Zatanna, you have come a long way. Why be worried now?"

Zatanna shook her head. "I don't know." Wow, she thought to herself, she was really getting into the lie. Or was it that she was speaking out some of the unconscious thoughts in her mind?

Great. More confusion. Granted, she had been weary of coming to Fate's tower initially, but all of that faded once she'd gotten into battle mode.

Zatanna suppressed her train of thought as she gave Inza another smile. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't worry. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"Exactly. Anyhow, Kent has returned…and I'm sure that there are things that you still wish do discuss with him pertaining your friend."

"I do. There's still a lot that needs to be talked over before we can leave."

"We have the whole day ahead of us, if you wish to relax some more."

"No," Zatanna stood up. "We can't impose on you any further, no matter how much you insist that we aren't. In any case, the entire reason that we came here was because we needed to sort these things out."

Inza watched Zatanna go, admiring the younger woman's inner strength, before following her into the tower.

* * *

Isobel Theroux finally pushed herself off of the bed, having ascertained her surroundings, and having figured out what had happened in the past couple of days. Her descendent was still playing the part of an idiot child, attempting to solve some great mystery about her destiny.

Hadn't she understood yet? Lana Lang's only great destiny was to keep this shell alive until such a point where Isobel herself could come back and inhabit it, which she had. Beyond that, her descendant had no great destiny with which to speak of.

Isobel lightly stepped over to the mirror on the wall across from her and stood there for a moment, admiring the body she inhabited. The body was a few years younger than hers had been when she'd been burnt at the stake, but besides that minor detail, the face – indeed the entire figure – reflected back at her was identical to the physical figure she had inhabited so long ago.

She used a spell and in a moment was freshly showered and dressed. Her clothes were those more befitting a countess and a sorceress than the clothes that her peasant-like descendant was prone to wear. She smiled at her reflection as she took in her trendy yet sophisticated outfit, and then stepped out of the bedroom.

As Isobel silently walked down the hallway, she silently came up with the first few dregs of a plan to get her crystals and to stay undetected from Lana Lang's friends. The last time she had been overtly obvious with her abilities, an insolent Homo magus had nearly sent her soul back to the ether.

For one thing, Isobel would have to act the full part of Lana so that she could operate without being discovered. It wouldn't be easy, but she had enough of Lana's memories to know how compose herself around the people she considered her friends. Besides, she had a feeling that the one named Clark would be able to help her find the crystals, as long as she acted innocent and conflicted enough.

As Isobel quietly crept down a large, widely curved staircase, she heard voices come down from somewhere below. She followed the voices quietly, not wanting to show herself just yet. For all she knew, they were discussing Lana and the crystals.

They were indeed discussing Lana, she found out, but not the crystals. Isobel listened intently, hoping to hear something if import.

* * *

"Your friend wasn't lying when she said that Lana had a great destiny," Kent announced to the three teenagers seated before him. Zatanna, Clark, Bart, Inza, and Kent had assembled in the same room as they had the day before, when Clark had had his little outburst over Alicia's death.

"But the question, Kent, is what the destiny itself is. None of us can find any answers to it, not even a clue as to whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. All we know is that her destiny is great. That doesn't really help us out much." Zatanna said

"I agree it doesn't. You need to realize, though, that it is all relative. Things aren't as easy as good or bad, Zatanna. They never are. This destiny of hers…this prophecy, it was a long time coming. It's been written for centuries, and nothing can stop it from coming to pass. Not supernatural interference, not natural death…nothing. Prophecies always have a way of coming true, because once a prophecy is written down by a being of power, and claimed as such…well…you know what they say. The pen is mightier than the sword."

"Then why not take the written prophecy and destroy it?" Bart asked.

"Again, it isn't that simple."

"Can't you at least tell us what that destiny is?" Zatanna asked, exasperated. What was it with these magic types and keeping everything one big, honking secret?

"You won't like it. And you can't change it."

"Tell us," Zatanna pleaded. "Please. This whole not knowing deal…it's becoming too difficult. Too unbearable. Please…Kent. Can't you do this much for your friend's daughter?"

Kent was silent for a moment, mulling over his options. After a moment of silence too long, he nodded and said, "Fine, it's best you be prepared. But not here. No one else may hear of this," he said, transforming once more into his Dr. Fate guise.

He tore a part of the fabric of reality with a golden ankh and motioned for his wife and the three teenagers to get inside.

"Why inside?" Zatanna asked, peering at her reflection in Dr. Fate's helmet.

"Because this tower is unsafe. It sits on a magickal crossroads on its own, and who knows who may hear of this."

Zatanna nodded and, taking the lead, stepped inside the portal.

Once they were all inside, Dr. Fate shared with them the prophecy.

They listened on, stunned. Shocked. Scared. And wishing they had never asked.

Isobel cursed to herself. She wouldn't learn of the prophecy. Not that it mattered, after all. With Lana now gone, did the prophecy really have any validity?

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys. :-D. Ahh, the goddess essence. It's not gone in the least. It's still in Lana's physical form, and it actually ends up helping Isobel somewhat. You'll see how soon enough. Nothing major or full of fireworks, but it aids in its own little way.

Anyway, yeah…I should have another update (time willing) up by the end of the week.

Hope you guys liked the chapter and please keep on reading and reviewing, yeah?

Until then!


	31. Back in Smallville

Genevieve Teague awoke in her bed with a start. Something didn't feel quite right to her all of a sudden, and she couldn't quite figure out what the matter was. She pushed her bed covers off of her and sat up, running a hand through her long tresses. She reached for the glass of water on her night stand and, removing the cover, took a long gulp of water. She set the glass down, then, and stood up, slipping her feet into her satin slippers.

Genevieve went over to her window and threw it open, staring out into the early morning sky. Yes, something was definitely wrong. The balance of the world had changed just a little bit, and it definitely was not for the better. A she peered out into the sky, looking at the rapidly fading stars, Genevieve realized what had changed.

Lana Lang was, in effect, gone. There was something else that had taken her place. Something that Genevieve was all too familiar with. The older woman cursed as she headed to the bathroom to get dressed. It was time to pay Isobel a visit.

* * *

"Are you sure keeping her at your place is the smartest thing to do?" Bart asked Zatanna the next day as they packed up a few of Lana's essential items in her apartment. 

Bart, Zatanna, Lana, and Clark had left Dr. Fate's tower soon after Dr. Fate's revelation of the prophecy. The drive home had been – at best – an awkward one. After Dr. Fate had revealed the prophecy and destiny to Zatanna, Bart, and Clark, the three of them had thought it best to quietly leave the tower with Lana and mull over what he had told them.

Though they hadn't discussed what they had learned from Dr. Fate in the car (there was no use in freaking out Lana just yet) there had been a thick layer of tension in the car. Even Bart hadn't been able to crack any particularly funny jokes. Instead, all three of them had had the same thought in their unconnected minds.

What next?

Upon arriving in Smallville, Zatanna had suggested that Lana stay with her for awhile. She had told Lana that she didn't particularly like the idea of Lana staying alone after everything that had happened at the Tower.

Lana, surprisingly, had readily agreed. She had also decided to rest at Zatanna's home while Bart and Zatanna went to pick some of her things. Clark, in the meantime, had thought it best to check in with his parents, and to try to contact Alicia's mother and inform her of what had transpired after Alicia's release from Belle Reve.

"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked as she stuffed Lana's toothpaste and toothbrush into a bag.

"You know how she went all beasty style over in Salem. What if she does it again?"

"I controlled it then, didn't I? I can do it again, Bart?"

"What if she's more powerful this time?"

Zatanna shook her head. "Trust me, she won't be."

"How can you say that?"

"I just can. Bart? Why are you so worried?"

Bart turned to Zatanna, his big brown eyes full of worry. "Isn't it obvious, Z'anna?"

"No…I mean…yeah, it is obvious, Bart, I just mean…you know what? Never mind," the sorceress said, leaning in to kiss him. They parted after a soft sweet kiss that left Bart wanting much more. "Look, I'll be fine. Why don't you go on ahead home to Central City and rest for awhile? Staying with me and Lana right now might not be the smartest idea…"

"Right. Coz, seeing you and me all lovey dovey could cause her to -,"

"Snap."

"Okay," he said, giving Zatanna another quick kiss. "But I'm only a phone call away."

"Go."

Zatanna watched Bart run off, idly wondering exactly how far his powers would go. Maybe she'd help him figure it out after all this stuff with Lana ended.

Hating the silence that prevailed in Lana's tiny apartment, Zatanna said out loud, "Oidar no!" She smiled as Green Day blasted through the speakers, starting to pack Lana's things again. She was tempted to use magic, but decided against it, solely for the reason that she wanted to conserve her energies in case Lana went crazy again. Sure, she'd use it for the smaller things – turning on a radio, opening the lock on a door, but to do something more than just a quick one time deal…not as long as Lana was staying with her.

As Zatanna packed a couple of blouses for Lana, she felt something tugging in her abdomen. She looked up for a moment, wondering briefly what it could be when she fell to the floor on her knees, her arms crossed before her abdomen as she felt sharp, fiery pain shoot up through her body. Her eyes started glowing as the pain increased, and Zatanna instinctively knew what it was that she was feeling.

There was a mortal witch somewhere around her.

The young woman pushed herself off the floor and stood up, dusting off her clothes and willing the pain away. She was grateful for whatever sixth sense it was in her that caused that sort of reaction in her, even though she hated the pain that it tended to bring.

Magickal sparks flickering in her hands; Zatanna did a quick search of Lana's apartment, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

_Does that mean there's someone downstairs in the Talon? _

The sorceress stalked over to the front door, her strides long and powerful. Whatever evil was down there, Zatanna was going to face it and give it hell. She grabbed the door handle and turned it, pulling the door open, only to find an exquisitely dressed older woman standing there before her.

The woman was dressed in a red Chanel suit and red Christian Louboutin heels. Her outfit was completed by a long, lush fur coat and a few strands of pearls. Zatanna immediately thought of Glenn Close's portrayal of Cruella DeVil as she took the woman in.

"Hello," Zatanna said unsurely. "Can I…help you?"

"Hello," the older woman nodded, speaking in a distinct, upper-class British accent. She gave Zatanna a once-over and smirked, giving Zatanna a contemptuous look as if to imply that Zatanna were her inferior in some way. "I'm here to see Lana Lang. My name is Genevieve Teague."

* * *

Isobel Theroux didn't waste any time after Zatanna and Bart had dropped her off at Zatanna's home. The car ride back to Smallville had been hard for her, only because she was trying to stave off her natural impulses and act as much like Lana Lang as she possibly could. The end result had been pretending to sleep in the car for most of the journey back. 

Isobel was pleasantly surprised that Zatanna hadn't been able to sense the change in the inhabitant of Lana's body as the sorceress had when Isobel had first taken over, but she wasn't sure why that particular sense of the Homo magus female's wasn't working. Not that it mattered. As long as Isobel went undetected, she would be fine.

As soon as Zatanna and Bart had left, Isobel wasted no time in searching her new housemate's belongings, attempting to find something that related to the crystals. She assumed that Zatanna, being as powerful as she was, and as close to the Kent boy as she was, would have some sort of information regarding the three crystals that Isobel sought, but she found nothing whatsoever.

She searched through all of Zatanna's books, trinkets, and a few of her magical trunks, but found nothing of any import. Well, nothing that could help her with the crystals anyway.

Finally she came to Zatanna's laptop. Isobel studied it for a moment, wondering what it did. She tapped into the memory reserves left by Lana before her disappearance, searching for some sort of clue on how to use the contraption in front of her.

And then she figured out how. And yes, it might help her.

Isobel brought the laptop back from its sleep state and searched through the computers files, trying to find something, anything. She came across Zatanna's computer journal and opened it, wondering if anything there might help her.

The witch read a detailed account of Zatanna's last experience with her, and glowered over the fact that Zatanna had misspelled her name. That was fine, though. Soon, Zatanna would learn to show Isobel the proper respect she deserved. Zatanna had also written down her experiences of going to Egypt to retrieve the scarab that would bring Lana back to life. That part intrigued Isobel a little bit, since it was key in helping bringing her back, as well as her assistant.

Things got more interesting when Zatanna started describing the goddess aspect that was within Lana though. The one that seemed to give her special powers. That last bit made Isobel smile wickedly. So that's why Zatanna couldn't sense her. The goddess aspect must still reside in this physical body, and it was powerful enough to cover up any detection of Isobel's residing in there. That must also be why Isobel's power felt like it had nearly doubled. The goddess aspect must have sensed the witch aspect of Isobel's own personality, and the two powers might unconsciously be tapping in to one another.

With the power of a goddess at her side, melding with her own powers, coupled with the powers of the crystals that she would find soon enough, Isobel would literally be an unstoppable force.

Too good. Too, too good.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys, how goes it? Things are good here, for the most part. I think we're getting close to the final arc of this fiction, though there's still quite a ways to go before it ends. Somewhere between a month and three months at any rate. After this one, though, I've got some interesting ideas for other DCU related fics as well…though we'll see how any of them come to fruition. :-D.

I also had a question for you guys. Granted, Zatanna isn't a character I created on my own...but I was wondering...do any of you think that Zatanna in thisficis a Mary Sue figure? Just wanted your feedback on that since I want to stray far, far away from sticking any Mary Sue figures in my work.

Nightcrawler, good point on the fact that Clark can change destiny, as was shown in "Hereafter". I wonder how he'll fare in trying to help change the destiny of a woman whose destiny is apparently prophesied by older beings of magic…)

Lol. Hoosier Daddy. Loving that handle.

SSG and Punkee, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you guys continue to enjoy what I put out. :-D.

Until next time, yeah?


	32. Confrontation

"Genevieve Teague," Zatanna repeated, cocking her head as she studied the woman in front of her. "I don't think that Lana's ever mentioned you…are you a relative?" Zatanna asked, instantly knowing where she had heard the last name before.

Jason Teague. This person was a relative of his, and guessing from the fact that she was calling on Lana, Zatanna would bet that this was Jason's mother.

Who was a Homo sapien witch.

That never boded well.

"No, not yet," Genevieve replied, "though, if my son…ah, well, let's not go there shall we? Tell me, is she in?"

"Lana…actually isn't here right now…but can I give her a message?"

"No, I can wait actually. Are you her roommate?" Genevieve asked as she pushed past Zatanna and let herself into Lana's apartment. Zatanna whirled around as Genevieve let herself in, taking a look around the apartment. Zatanna's eyes flared as she watched the older woman survey the apartment, her facial expression trying to mask her distaste.

"Actually no, I'm her friend," Zatanna replied, keeping any edge out of her voice. "So, you're Jason's mother."

"Yes, yes I am," Genevieve replied, seating herself on a chair. "When will Lana be back?"

"Not for a long while, actually." Zatanna replied. "Waiting here wouldn't be the best thing."

"Define 'long while'," Genevieve asked saucily.

"I don't believe you need to know," Zatanna replied.

"I actually believe I do." Genevieve said back, matching Zatanna's tone vocal note by vocal note.

Zatanna sighed and arched an eyebrow at the older woman. This conversation could seriously go one of two ways. She could reveal herself to the older woman and tell her that she knew who Genevieve was…or at least **what** she was…or she could play stupid and just not do anything. Truth be told, Zatanna was tired of playing dumb and just letting things happen to her and her friends.

After Lana's sudden transformations, it was more than just a little weird for someone like Genevieve to appear out of the blue and pay a social visit to Lana. First of all, there was the witch factor. Secondly there was the fact that Jason and Lana had broken up, and Zatanna was more than certain that Genevieve knew that. The woman looked shrewd and calculating. There was also the fact that she was pushing herself into Lana's home and demanding to know where the young woman was.

What was this lady's game? What did she want?

"No, you really don't, Genevieve." Zatanna replied back, perhaps a little more saucily than she meant to. "Wherever Lana is, it really doesn't concern you any more than it concerns me as to what your son is up to right now. Now, I'd really appreciate it if you left and let me finish up whatever it is that I was doing here before you decided to barge on in."

"You're a feisty one."

"You don't know the half of it, lady. Are you going to leave or do I have to drag you out of here by those Harry Winston earrings? I really don't have a problem doing the latter, you know."

Genevieve smiled smugly at Zatanna, arching an eyebrow as she listened to Zatanna. "You don't have the power to get me up off of this chair and out of Lana's apartment."

"You don't want to discuss power with me, Genevieve." Zatanna said, walking closer to the woman. "It's really not in your best interest."

"And you know what's in my best interest, little girl?"

"Don't even try to 'little girl' me. You don't know who I am."

"Who are you then? Shed some light on it, and let me be amazed by your greatness."

"Zatanna Zatara."

Genevieve blinked for a moment and just stared at Zatanna blankly. "Zatanna Zatara," she repeated off-handedly. "I'd be in awe, except for the fact that your name sounds like a really bad Italian dish."

"That was a low blow for a supposedly sparkling socialite like you," Zatanna shot back, unfazed. She'd heard worse things said about her name in elementary school, and frankly, insults never really got to Zatanna. Ever. Call it having a high case of self-esteem. "Then again, so is verbally sparring with a woman young enough to be your daughter."

Genevieve was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say, exactly. She wasn't used to someone being this feisty with her. People usually bowed down to Genevieve and deferred to her instead of being, well, this outspoken.

"I don't think I like you."

"Good for you. I already don't like you." Zatanna replied point blank. She stopped then, in front of Genevieve, her arms akimbo, her head cocked to one side, her eyes boring into Genevieve's. She silently considered her next move for a moment.

Zatanna instinctively, inherently did not trust this woman. She wanted Lana for another reason, not just because she was Jason's ex-girlfriend. Whatever that reason was, Zatanna bet on anything – even her own powers - that it was connected to the recent developments in Lana's life.

Which meant that it was time to stop playing it safe, time to stop researching Lana's new powers and Lana's new destiny, and time to seriously take some action.

"You know what? I'm tired. I'm tired of the word games. I'm tired of the mysteries that have been accosting me during the past few weeks. I'm tired of all the weirdness. Let's cut to this chase, Genevieve. I know what you are."

Genevieve gave Zatanna a quizzical look. "What I am…what are you -"

Zatanna shook her head. "Don't even try the innocence shtick on me. You're a mortal witch. You know it. I know it. Deal with the fact that I know. Oh, right, and while we're on the subject of knowing, I also know what it is you want with Lana, and let me tell you, you aren't getting it. Any of it."

"Who are you?" Genevieve asked, finally suspicious of the teenager in front of her.

"A teenage girl with a name that sounds like something you'd return at the Cheesecake Factory, apparently," Zatanna shot back. "You weren't interested earlier. Don't try to change the subject by being so now. I want you to back off, Genevieve. Back off and go back to London or Paris or whatever city it is where you try to move around in your wannabe Alexis Carrington lifestyle."

"You can't make me. You can't make me do anything you want me to. You really don't know who you're dealing with," Genevieve said tartly, incensed. Zatanna was pushing a few of the witch's buttons, she noted gleefully.

"And who am I dealing with, exactly?"

"Someone far older than you." Genevieve said cryptically.

"As can be witnessed by very bad plastic surgery. What happened, did all your beauty spells backfire? Look, realize that Lana is under my protection, as is everyone else in Smallville. You want any of them, you come through me first. Understood?"

"Don't think too much of yourself."

"I don't. I think just enough, Genevieve. I suggest you leave, now. Before I have to take any drastic measures in making you go."

Genevieve eased herself off of the chair upon which she sat, her lips curling into a smile. "I'll go. For now. But don't expect me to leave Smallville. And don't expect me not to enjoy a cup of tea at the Talon. I'll be here, around. Waiting to meet your friend. After all, I have unfinished business with her."

"Like I said, Genevieve, you want her, you come through me."

"We'll see about that," Genevieve replied, walking towards the front door. She put her hand on the knob and turned it, opening the door slightly. She then turned around and gave Zatanna a once over before saying, "But believe you me, Zatanna, when things come to a pass, you'll wish you had let me deal with Lana in the first place. You don't know everything, you know."

"And you can say this because?"

"I'm older. And wiser. And because I'm one of the very few who knows of what will come to pass."

"What do you mean?"

"If you had co-operated, I would have answered that," Genevieve said, closing the door behind her, leaving behind an even more confused and upset Zatanna.

* * *

As soon as Genevieve left, Zatanna plopped herself down on the couch and picked up the phone. She quickly dialed in a number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Clark?"

"Zatanna. Hey."

"Hey…have you spoken to Mrs. Baker yet?"

"No…not yet. I was going to go pay her a visit. What's going on?"

"I just had the most interesting meeting."

"With."

"Genevieve Teague."

"Jason's mom? You're kidding me. What happened?" Clark asked, his curiosity piqued. Zatanna smiled to herself. For someone who claimed to have very little interest in journalism, Clark definitely was curious. Then again, with his life in Smallville, it was hardly surprising.

"Let's just say that she knows way more than she's letting on. Oh…and she's a witch."

"Think there's a connection to Isobel?"

"Don't you?"

"Does she know about you?"

"No. She's a mortal witch. She can't inherently sense me."

"What do we do now?"

"You have no idea how tired of that question I am. I don't know, Clark…all I know is that we need to keep Lana in confinement for as long as possible. And keep Genevieve away from her. I'm sure she's got her eyes set out on me now."

"That sounds so comforting," Clark replied dryly.

"I know. I'm scared, Clark. After what Kent told us, and after this meeting with Genevieve. I mean, I held my own against her, but dammit, there's more to this than what even Kent's told us. We don't even know how Lana's going to…you know."

"Yeah, I do. I say we go to you friend Madame Xanadu's tomorrow and discuss this. I'll call Bart."

Zatanna nodded. "Do that. And Clark? Please be careful?"

"I think I should be telling that to you," Clark said before he hung up.

Zatanna set the phone down, thinking the same thing.

They'd have to be careful, while time was speeding up on them. Great.

* * *

Writer's Note: Hey guys….Yeah…it's been exactly one month since my last post. I really truly am sorry for the delays, and I'm gonna try to stop any more delays from happening. Sorry…I know it's no excuse, but my personal life's been somewhat of a mess the past few weeks, and I sort of let things slip, but no more. Admittedly, not my best chapter…but it does get better. Trust me. :-D.

There's a big reveal coming soon too, which will pretty much lead up to the climax of the story.

So what did you guys think of the chapter? Comments, complaints, and all that juicy stuff is way cool, so keep on r-and-r-ing yeah? And meanwhile I'll keep posting.

Right, and thanks guys, for those of you who emailed me in my absence. I totally appreciated it. :-D.

Hope to hear from you soon, and until next time, yeah?


	33. Another Revelation, Another Manipulation

"So you've heard the full prophecy," Madam Xanadu offered the next day, soon after Clark, Zatanna, and Bart had gotten together at her home. Zatanna had left early in the morning, telling Lana that she had to meet a few mystics regarding her search for her father. Lana herself had told Zatanna that she had decided to go to school anyway, though Zatanna had convinced her to stay back home and rest. Lana had finally agreed after a little bit of non-magickal prodding from the sorceress. Clark had joined Zatanna outside of Smallville, and Bart had joined them at Xanadu's front doorstep.

Zatanna nodded. "We have. Dr. Fate told us everything. Well…everything he knew anyway."

"But there's more to it than just that," Clark added, "as Genevieve Teague hinted towards yesterday."

Xanadu nodded, her face showing complete understanding. "You won't know everything until it's too late."

Her words sent Clark, Bart, and Zatanna into a stunned silence as they stared at her, mouths hanging open. Xanadu just smiled her cryptic, pleasant smile at them as she turned to look at each of her three comrades.

"Not the words you were expecting?" she asked.

"Not exactly…" Bart offered.

"Although knowing all the great help you've given us so far, we really should have expected it," Zatanna added, giving her long time friend a sour look. "How is it, exactly, Xan, that you can be so open about your sex life with me and give me every single last detail even while I beg you to stop, and when it's something as important as this, you become as cryptically annoying as a magic eight ball?"

Xanadu smiled slyly. "The world may never know."

Zatanna rolled her eyes and tried her best to stay calm. Bart put his hand over hers and massaged it gently, trying to get her to calm down.

"Is there anything you can actually tell us, Madam Xanadu?" Clark asked gently.

"Watch Lana closely." Xanadu replied, clearly enjoying herself. Xanadu realized that her friends were in a dire situation, and she understood the levity of what would happen if they couldn't stop things from happening, but the fact was that she knew what the outcome of things to be were. She was just trying to inject some humor into the whole ordeal.

Apparently her friends weren't making with the appreciation today.

"How about something that we didn't know," Zatanna snarked back at Xanadu.

Xanadu nodded. "Alright then. How about this? Genevieve Teague isn't who you think she is."

"See my last question."

"The answer's been in front of you the whole time. Especially if you've been paying attention in your English classes. Think on it for a moment…and her intentions will become clear. Especially to you, Zatanna."

"Uh…I don't go to school with them," Bart offered.

"It's no matter. I'm sure that Zatanna or Clark will figure it out."

Zatanna was silent for a moment, trying to think back to English class. She hardly paid attention in class, owing to the fact of everything else going on, but what was it that they were –

Realization hit Zatanna like a brick against marshmallow. She let out a few choice curses before stating in a low, somewhat worried voice, "Guys…I think I know who we're up against…"

* * *

Genevieve Teague was positively fuming as she walked up the steps to Jason's apartment. Yesterday had not gone well. Not only had she been unable to find Isobel, but she had been told off by that stupid twit of a girl Zatanna. Genevieve hated that the young woman had been able to hold her own so well against her. No one had done that, no one. Throughout the centuries that she'd been alive, there hadn't been a single person to stand up to her that way.

Except for Isobel. But she'd made certain that Isobel died.

Or at least she thought she had.

Genevieve held back a snort as she came up to Jason's door. She stood silent for a moment, composing herself. She would need to meet Jason with a level head and talk to him. Have him fall under her persuasion, and get him to search for Lana, well, Isobel technically, but that was none of Jason's concern.

And the only way to make Jason look for Lana is to act as though she disapproved of his relationship with the country bumpkin of a girl.

God, he was so easy to manipulate. Then again, with all the spells that she had cast over him years ago, she figured that he would be easy to manipulate. Now if only she could get him to track down his ex-girlfriend and make up with her…

Genevieve pushed any tell-tale thoughts to the back of her mind and put up a false smile, knocking on the door. The door opened moments later and Jason stood in front of her, dressed in jeans and a striped shirt, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Mother. Back again for another visit?"

"As if I could ever not visit my only son," Genevieve replied saccharinely, pushing past him into his apartment. She immediately noticed that he had finished settling into the apartment, and the end result was most definitely well done. It was a perfect bachelor's pad, without seeming too juvenile. Rather like Jason when he wasn't unconsciously fighting the spells that had been cast on him.

"So what brings you here today?"

"Nothing in particular Jason. I was just out doing some light shopping when I bumped into Lana Lang. Seeing her reminded me of something and so I thought I'd come see you. Won't you at least offer me tea? Or coffee? Or even a carbonated, caffeinated beverage of some sort?"

"Sorry, kitchen's closed. Why would seeing Lana remind you of something?"

"Well, it just reminded me of how happy I was that you broke up with that foolish little country bumpkin. I mean, she really was beneath you," Genevieve said as she settled into one of Jason's couches. "Though, candidly speaking, I hope not physically." Seeing that her last comment pushed Jason the wrong way, Genevieve continued without giving Jason a chance to react or respond. "In any case, there's this girl I know, a lovely socialite of a girl. Her grandparents are very rich, influential people. You might have heard of them, the family's last name is Gil-"

"I'm not interested, Mom," Jason interrupted. "Really. I'm doing great on my own. I'm not sure what your real reason for coming here was but -"

"But nothing, Jason. I just thought of my son and felt that I should visit you, see if there's any way to make your new home comfortable. I am your mother, after all, and I do wish to see you lead a good life."

"Without Lana."

"Yes, well, Lana isn't exactly -"

"You don't know Lana Lang, Mom!" Jason suddenly exploded, shocking even himself. He'd broken up with Lana because of his mother, he realized…but maybe he was wrong in guessing that his mother was playing some weird manipulative game. Maybe she really had hated Lana, maybe she had just been taunting him about Lana being "special." Jason glared at Genevieve angrily, his face starting to turn red. "You don't know her at all!"

"Nor do I need to know her, Jason," Genevieve replied, marveling at how easily this young man in front of her could be manipulated. "I'm just glad that-"

"Perhaps you should leave," Jason said as he stalked to the door and yanked it open.

Genevieve looked at Jason with a pout. "You would kick your own mother out?"

"There are days, you know, when I convince myself that you aren't my mother at all."

Genevieve stifled a laugh at this. "Jason…sometimes you really are a bit much. Alright, I'll leave. You know where to find me if you need…anything."

"I won't."

"You tell yourself that now," Genevieve said as she left the room. Jason slammed the door shut behind her, and Genevieve stood still for a moment, waiting outside the door, listening to what the boy she called son was doing.

She grinned devilishly as she realized that he was going out to meet Lana Lang.

* * *

Writer's Note: Wow. And another month has passed since my last update. Really really sorry about that, to anyone who's not as yet frustrated with me and hasn't stopped reading. It was one of those things where bad things happen all at once, somewhat connected to the personal problems I had spoken of in my last post. Granted, things have cooled off considerably enough for me to turn around again and get back to routine, so seriously do expect me to update once more the way I used to…

Hope you guys liked this chapter. :-D


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